Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) will close to all commercial and general aviation from 11 p.m. on Sunday, April 4, 2027 until 7 p.m. on Friday, November 19, 2027. The airport announced the dates on May 29, 2026. The closure covers the full runway reconstruction and the start of the new terminal and fixed-base operator facility that voters approved. No airline or private flights will operate at ASE during those dates.
If you are planning a spring, summer, or fall 2027 trip to Aspen or Snowmass Village, you will fly into a different airport and drive the last leg. This guide covers the two realistic choices, what the drive looks like from each, and how a prearranged private transfer keeps the change from becoming a problem.
What is closing and when
- Closure begins Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 11 p.m.
- Closure ends Friday, November 19, 2027 at 7 p.m.
- All commercial airline service and all general aviation, including private jets, stop at ASE for the duration.
- Preparatory work begins in summer 2026, including the realignment of Owl Creek Road near the airport.
- The runway is scheduled to reopen in late 2027; the new terminal is targeted for 2029.
Check the airport’s own construction page before you book, and again before you travel. Dates can move.
Option one: fly into Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE)
Eagle County Regional Airport in Gypsum is about 70 miles from Aspen. The drive takes about an hour and a half in good conditions: I-70 west to Glenwood Springs, then Highway 82 southeast through Carbondale and Basalt into Aspen. Snowmass Village is reached from the Brush Creek Road turnoff a few miles before town.
EGE is the closest full commercial airport to Aspen once ASE is closed. Its winter schedule is strong, with nonstop flights from many hub cities. Spring, summer, and fall schedules are thinner, so check what your home airport offers on your dates. Private aviation will also concentrate at EGE: the Vail Valley Jet Center is the FBO there, and operators that normally use Atlantic Aviation at Aspen will be handling their Aspen clients out of Eagle during the closure.
Our chauffeur meets EGE arrivals inside the terminal at baggage claim, or at the ground transportation lot outside Door 6 if you prefer to walk straight out. Flight tracking means a delayed arrival changes nothing on your end.
Option two: fly into Denver International Airport (DIA)
Denver is about 220 miles from Aspen. The drive takes about four hours in summer and can run four and a half to five and a half hours in winter weather or holiday traffic. The route is I-70 west across the Continental Divide through the Eisenhower Tunnel, over Vail Pass, through Glenwood Canyon to Glenwood Springs, then Highway 82 to Aspen.
DIA has far more flights, more nonstop cities, and more schedule flexibility than any mountain airport. For travelers coming from smaller markets, or arriving late at night, it is often the only practical choice. The tradeoff is the drive, which is why a private transfer matters more from Denver than from anywhere else. Four hours in a Sprinter with your group, your luggage loaded for you, and a chauffeur who drives this corridor every week is a different trip than four hours in a rental car you picked up at midnight.
We pick up at DIA on Level 5, Island 2, the LIMO island outside the Jeppesen Terminal. Exit Door 511 on the east side or Door 506 on the west after you collect your bags. Text us when you land and the vehicle arrives within a few minutes.
What about Grand Junction or Rifle?
Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) and Rifle Garfield County Airport (RIL) are both west of Aspen. Rifle handles private aviation and is about an hour and fifteen minutes from Aspen via I-70 and Highway 82. Grand Junction has commercial service and is a little over two hours away. Both are options for private flights during the closure. Contact us with your itinerary and we will confirm a pickup at either.
Independence Pass will not save you the drive
Highway 82 continues east from Aspen over Independence Pass to Twin Lakes and US-24, and on a map it looks like a shortcut from the Denver side. It is not a winter option: the pass closes every year, usually the first week of November, and reopens the Thursday before Memorial Day. During the parts of the closure when the pass is open, the road is narrow, steep, and closed to vehicles over 35 feet, and it saves little time from Denver. We use Highway 82 through Glenwood Springs for every Aspen transfer.
How to plan a 2027 Aspen trip
- Book flights into EGE if the schedule from your city works. Book DIA if it does not.
- Send us your flight details when you book the transfer. We track the flight and adjust the pickup automatically.
- Tell us your passenger count, bags, skis or bikes, and any child seats so we assign the right vehicle. Our Escalades and Suburbans carry five; the Executive Sprinter carries thirteen; the Ford Transit carries fourteen.
- Plan your return with margin. From Aspen, allow about an hour and forty-five minutes to EGE in winter, and five hours or more to DIA, before airline check-in time.
- If you are arriving by private jet, give us the tail number, the FBO, and the wheels-down estimate. We coordinate with the crew and meet you at the aircraft or the FBO lounge.
Summit Black Car is based in Breckenridge and founded by a former Colorado State Trooper. Our chauffeurs drive the Glenwood Canyon and Highway 82 corridor year-round, in the vehicles that Colorado’s traction law expects on I-70 from September through May. Request an instant quote at summitblackcar.com/book-now or call 970-485-3494 any time.
