At the request of Denver's Centennial airport executive director Mike Fronapfel, the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority board of commissioners has voted unanimously to provide incentives to tenants and FBOs to accelerate the transition from 100LL aviation gas to FAA-approved alternative unleaded fuel.

The FAA-led Eliminate Aviation Gas Lead Emissions (EAGLE) programme has set a goal of 2030 for nationwide transition from 100LL to unleaded fuels. Centennial airport would like to be a leader in this transition among airfields in Colorado, regionally and nationally.

"We have engaged in numerous discussions with the community regarding the use of leaded aviation fuel and are proud to be among the first general aviation airports in the country to commit to this transition," says Fronapfel. "One of our goals is to be able to provide a framework that other airports around the nation can use to make this transition as well."

With the affirmative vote, the ACPAA board authorises airport staff to allocate funds towards working with stakeholders to explore and implement strategies to facilitate a safe transition to FAA-approved alternative unleaded fuel as soon as practical. Among the strategies discussed to incentivise this move is financial assistance towards supplemental type certificates for aircraft based at Centennial airport and financial subsidies to bring the cost of unleaded aviation fuel closer to the current price of 100LL fuel.

Additional funds became available for this endeavour following the award of a $4 million grant from the FAA towards site selection and design of a new air traffic control tower. The tower project already had funds allocated towards it in the 2023 budget, allowing the airport to direct these latest funds towards the move to unleaded fuel.

While a timetable for the complete transition to unleaded fuel is yet to be set, it is expected that the 94UL will be available by summer of 2023.