Boulder’s airport manager leaves city for Northern Colorado Regional Airport job

John Kinney, Boulder’s airport manager, will leave his position on Oct. 25 to become the director of the Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL), which is jointly managed by Loveland and Fort Collins.

Kinney joined the City of Boulder in December 2021 with decades of experience in airport operations. His tenure coincided with a period of uncertainty at the Boulder Municipal Airport, including debates over its future and since-rescinded ballot measures that proposed closing the facility to repurpose the land for housing. Meanwhile, the city is suing the Federal Aviation Administration in a lawsuit that will help clarify the legal and financial implications of potentially closing the airport.

Boulder Municipal Airport, which began as a dirt airstrip in 1928, primarily serves private pilots, flight trainees, gliders and scientific researchers. Critics of the airport cite concerns about noise, lead pollution from small aircraft and the need for more land to build housing.

In contrast, Northern Colorado Regional Airport, located in Loveland, handles about 100,000 annual operations — roughly double that of Boulder’s airport — and is poised for expansion.

“While I was not seeking other opportunities, the more I heard about the issues facing Northern Colorado’s Regional Airport (FNL) the more my interest was piqued,” Kinney said in an emailed statement to Boulder Reporting Lab. “I was particularly intrigued by FNL’s substantive and exciting work including, to mention a few, activating a new airline terminal, widening their runway to accommodate the next generation of aircraft, and working to certify one of only two ‘virtual towers’ in the nation.”

Kinney declined an interview with Boulder Reporting Lab. In his statement, he said it has been an “exciting” three years working for the city.

“We’ve reestablished several cornerstone programs of safety, revenue generation and timely management of leases the next manager will build upon,” Kinney said. “While I have enjoyed working with the City of Boulder team, joining FNL is an exciting professional opportunity to work on the array of new and unique issues facing the region. I look forward to joining FNL’s team and contributing to the airport’s already stellar reputation in serving the northern Colorado region’s businesses and communities.”

The city plans to conduct a national search for Kinney’s successor. In the interim, officials said in a news release, the airport would maintain normal operations, including scheduled ramp pavement repairs.

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