Passengers who fly into the tiny Jackson Hole, Wyo.,
airport may not realize it, but they’re landing inside a national
park. Airline representatives have argued for years that the
Jackson runway should be lengthened for easier access. But Grand
Teton National Park officials and environmentalists have
steadfastly opposed the idea, saying an expansion would further
disturb the park’s environment.
Now, a Delta
Airlines decision discontinuing jet service into Jackson on Oct. 1
has revived the expansion proposal. Delta spokesman Ed Artzt says
the company might not have abandoned Jackson if the 6,300-foot
runway could be lengthened by 2,000 feet.
“A
runway extension will not create more overflights (and) will not
bring larger jets into the valley,” he says. “There isn’t anything
about lengthening that isn’t good for Jackson and for the people of
Jackson.”
Jackson Hole Airport board manager
George Larson adds that the short airstrip makes it difficult for
any plane to fly into the valley.
Wyoming Gov.
Jim Geringer agrees. He says the Jackson community has an
obligation to provide a facility airlines would want to fly into,
while airlines are responsible for ensuring air service to this
rural market. “Ultimately, I feel that lengthening the runway is a
need for Jackson,” he says.
But the proposal has
yet to get off the ground, thanks in part to continued opposition
from park officials. “To discuss lengthening the runway for the
purpose of enhancing a corporation’s balance sheet doesn’t seem to
me a viable approach,” says park superintendent Jack Neckels. “The
purpose of the park is not to satisfy an airline’s needs, or
strictly to satisfy the desires of a local community. After all, it
is a national park.”
In September, the FAA
released an environmental assessment analyzing options to add paved
safety zones to the runway. These would not lengthen the runway but
would bring it into compliance with federal
standards.
* Rachel
Odell
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Next: Grand Teton International?.
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