Then & Now

With the September/October 1993 issue, subscribers received the first copy of AIRPORT BUSINESS — the marriage of FBO and AIRPORT SERVICES magazines. The first cover story of the revised publication featured the new Denver International Airport — then scheduled to open October 31, 1993 — and James DeLong, DEN director, and Robert Anderson, president of AMR Combs, a tenant of the new DEN. Due to difficulties with the airport’s automated baggage installation, opening of the terminal was delayed until February 28, 1995, at a final cost of $5.2 billion, some $2 billion over budget.

Since its opening, more than 250 million passengers have used Denver International airport. It is ranked as the fifth busiest airport in the U.S. and the tenth busiest in the world. In 2004, the airport, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation, contributed some $17 billion annually to the local economy.