Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 2

38 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 PAGE MUNI C I PAL A I RPORT Amangiri, on Lake Powell at the crossroads of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. The resort charges some $4000 per night for an all- inclusive desert spa getaway – and uses Page Municipal Airport as its gateway. There is no doubt that the airport serves as a vital economic engine for the City of Page and Coconino County. According to Martinez, “One of the key things that have changed in terms of the airport is that the city has managed to procure an alternative essential air service provider with Contour Airlines. This reduced a barrier to access, since we are about four hours away from Phoenix, which is the nearest metropolitan area by car. Contour operates a 30-passenger jet service that cuts the travel time to 41 minutes and charges under $50. It has had a huge impact on tourism but also on personal commuting. It is possible to live here and work there.” “That is definitely true,” chimes in Kyle Christiansen, Airport Director/Public Works Director for the City of Page. “We used to have a smaller prop commercial service operator that did OK, but Contour brought a lot of people to the community for tourism and allowed us, as residents, to be able to access the state capital for business meetings or what have you. We have also seen a small uptick in charter operations over the last couple of years.” Page Municipal Airport was officially named the “Royce K Knight Field” on July 14, 1988, in recognition of the man who started the airport during the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. Knight also ran the FBO and offered scenic