Cortez Municipal Airport

Its first scheduled passenger airline flights were operated by Monarch Airlines (1946-1950) with Douglas DC-3s in 1949. By 1977, Monarch successor Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) was operating Convair 580 turboprop service direct to Albuquerque and Denver as well as nonstop to nearby Farmington. Frontier had ceased serving Cortez by 1982. Following cessation of service by Frontier, Cortez was served by several commuter air carriers over the years. During the mid-1980s, two airlines were serving the airport: Pioneer Airlines operating code sharing flights as Continental Express on behalf of Continental Airlines with direct service from Denver via a stop in Grand Junction flown with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner commuter propjets, and Trans-Colorado Airlines operating independently with direct service from Denver via a stop in Durango also flown with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner aircraft. By 1995, Mesa Airlines was operating code sharing flights as United Express on behalf of United Airlines with nonstop service from Denver and Farmington flown with Beechcraft 1900D and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia commuter propjets. In 2000, Great Lakes Airlines was operating code sharing service as United Express on behalf of United Airlines with nonstop Beechcraft 1900D flights to Denver. Great Lakes Airlines then operated nonstop Beechcraft 1900D service primarily to Denver as an independent air carrier from 2001 through 2016. U-2 Emergency Landing Incident A USAF Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft made an emergency nighttime forced landing at the Cortez Municipal Airport on August 3, 1959. Major Hsi-Chun Mike Hua was on a training flight originating at Laughlin AFB, Texas. The U-2 aircraft engine flamed out at 70,000 feet. Maj. Hua established glide and was able to navigate through a valley to a lighted airport that wasn't on his map, nor did he know of its existence beforehand. The airport was the only one in the area with a runway that was lighted overnight. ==Facilities==