When Colorado airport managers go bargain shopping, one of their favorite stops is the state’s annual surplus airport equipment sale, where this year 15 of the public-use airports scored significant bargains on high-quality, used airport-specific equipment.

Prospective buyers perused snow plows, runway brooms, dump trucks and firefighting vehicles at a special pre-sale preview on Aug. 28 at Denver International Airport.

A total of 21 pieces of equipment were sold, 19 of which came from DIA (DEN) and two from Colorado Springs (COS), the state’s two largest airports.

Sales from the event, overseen by the Colorado Division of Aeronautics, totaled $817,500.

Through funding allocated by the Colorado Aeronautical Board, the Division of Aeronautics contributed $582,000 in aviation grants towards the total, significantly reducing purchase costs for participating local airports to $235,500.

“The success of the surplus airport equipment program has helped improve the unfunded need for equipment at airports around the state by tens of millions of dollars,” said Aeronautics Division Surplus Program Manager Kaitlyn Westendorf. “We have rehomed equipment to airports of all sizes and budgets all around the state, in turn, helping the safety and efficiency of Colorado’s flying public.”

The division estimates that the value of the equipment sold at this year’s sale, if purchased new, would exceed $10 million.

“The multi-function units will allow us to use less equipment during snow removal operations, which could lead to a decrease in fuel, wear and tear on our older equipment and help when we have staffing issues,” Eagle County Airport Maintenance Manager Wallace Oliveira said. “The economic benefit is huge due to the impact that it would have if we needed to purchase these units brand new. By going through the surplus sale, we can update our fleet and hold excess funds for other projects at the airport.”

For more than two decades, the division’s surplus equipment program has helped numerous Colorado airports acquire vital equipment at an affordable price, enhancing safety and efficient airport operations.

“Participating in the Colorado surplus sale gives us access to valuable equipment that we might not otherwise have at our disposal,” said Fremont County Airport Manager Wesley Brandt, who added two large dump trucks and a runway snowplow to his fleet. “It’s an incredible opportunity to enhance our capabilities without stretching our limited budget.”

In 1991, Colorado enacted legislation to develop and maintain the Colorado Aviation System through state taxes on the sale of aviation fuel.

No general funds are used to support the system, as it is entirely user-funded. The Colorado Airport System includes 76 public-use airports, which collectively support over 345,661 jobs, generate $16.2 billion in annual payroll, $27 billion in value-added economic activity, and contribute $48.6 billion in total annual business revenue to the state.