The Airport is owned by the City of Driggs and managed by the Airport Board.  The Airport Board is appointed by the Mayor and ratified by the City Council.

The Airport Administrator is hired by the Mayor and facilitates between the City of Driggs, the Airport Board, The Flight Based Operator, the Airport Engineer and the FAA.

The Airport Board oversees operations on the ground such as facilities maintenance, regulation and enforcement of airport rules, and the Flight Based Operator, Teton Aviation.  The Airport Board works with the Airport Engineer and the FAA regarding the planning and financing of long-term Capital Improvements.  The Airport Board also oversees the day-to-day finances and annual budget for the airport.

The Airport Administrator documents noise complaints but does not report them to the FAA.  If you are able to note the tail number and time and location of the noise disturbance, you can report it to the FAA:  https://www.faa.gov/noise/inquiries/

The Airport Board does not regulate airborne operations.  They can distribute guidelines i.e. flight times and recommended routes to arriving and departing pilots, but they do not have the authority to enforce any airborne operation or to enforce any FAA regulations.

The Airport is not designed to accommodate commercial service. Bringing regularly scheduled commercial air carrier service to DIJ is unlikely in at least the next 50 years and is not forecasted in the Master Plan Update. Significant changes would have to occur in the traffic demand, economic conditions, and competitive climate for airlines and airports before an air carrier could operate efficiently at DIJ. We do not have the infrastructure, and with Jackson Hole roughly 45 minutes to the east and Idaho Regional approximately 1 hour to the west, the City would have difficulty convincing an air carrier that DIJ could be a stable and successful economic enterprise. Furthermore, a Part 139 certification would be required to operate a commercial air carrier and is not feasible. The Driggs Reed Memorial Airport and FAA officials have no interest in pursuing this idea.

Airport meetings and agendas are posted on the Airport Board Meeting Info Page. Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month at 5pm in the City Council Chambers located at 60 South Main Street, Driggs.

Teton Aviation is the only FBO currently at the airport.  They monitor the radio frequency: 122.7 megahertz and offer services such as: fuel (Jet A & Avgas), hangar and tie-down rentals, ground transportation, scenic flights, and a flight school.  For a complete list of services and fees, you can access their website:https://tetonaviation.com/ .  Teton Aviation also hosts the Warbird Museum consisting of authentic WW2 and other historic aircraft.

DIJ is classified by the State of Idaho as a Regional Business Airport and by the FAA as a General Aviation (GA), C-II Airport. The C Designation is the aircraft approach category, which includes aircraft with speeds of 121 knots or more but less than 141 knots. The II designation is the airplane design group, which includes aircraft with wingspans of 49 feet up to but not including 79 feet. The runway is 7300 ft long and 100 ft wide. It is primarily used by a wide range of general aviation aircraft and can accommodate large corporate and regional-type commuter jets. Air Idaho, which is a medical transportation service, is also based at DIJ and operates its helicopter at the south end of the runway. Note the Airport is not allowed to restrict the type or size of aircraft that flies into DIJ.

DIJ is operable year-round.  Teton Aviation provides snow removal and limited de-icing services.  You can radio or call ahead for current weather and runway conditions.  (208) 354-3100

The Airport Master Plan states that DIJ’s local economic contribution is $22.5 million with $5.4 million in earnings annually. The airport generates 119 jobs in the City of Driggs which makes it among the top 10 largest employers in the valley.

An air ambulance operated by Air Idaho, serves the City and Teton valley, dramatically shrinking the time it takes for injured members of the community to reach higher levels of care

Each year (except those interrupted by Covid) the airport hosts a Young Eagles event where approximately 200 children from both sides of the Tetons are introduced to the opportunities of flying, potentially sparking a career that they otherwise would not have been exposed to. In addition, the Experimental Aircraft Association offers 2 scholarships to local high school students for training and certification for a private pilots license.

Glider Camps in the summer of 2022: The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) used the airport facilities including the campsite to host weekend Glider Camps for CAP Cadets, introducing them to glider operations and glider flight. They also ran proficiency training for their instructors and support staff. An average of 6 cadets and 10 staff from across the state participated every weekend.

Airport revenues are generated by leasing hangar spaces (approximately 35), Through-The-Fence Agreements* (34), fuel sales, and car rentals. At the beginning of 2022 the Airport introduced landing fees for larger, non-resident aircraft to generate additional revenue that the airport can use to fund itself. *A through-the-fence agreement is when private landholders are allowed to access the city-owned airport land under the terms of an agreement.

The FAA funds approximately 90% of infrastructure improvements, including the construction and maintenance of the runway and taxiways, snow removal and groundskeeping equipment, and the development of the Master Plan, an in-depth study and planning tool updated approximately every 5 to 8 years. The Idaho Transportation Department funds between 2.5 and 5% of the remaining expenditures. As noted in the Airport Master Plan, Since 2014, DIJ has received $2.5 million in federal grants and $106,000 in State grants for these various projects.

The airport budget is part of the overall city budget, meaning the city is responsible for any budget deficit. However, the airport has historically been self-sustaining, raising most of its revenue through hangar leases and commissions from car rentals and fuel sales. Property taxes and landing fees for larger non-resident aircraft were added to the fee schedule in 2022.

The Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport, also known as DIJ, had its beginnings as a grass strip in 1949 when land was acquired and the grass strip created with federal funding. At that time, the runway was 3,400 feet long and 200 feet wide. DIJ remained a grass strip until 1975, when another FAA grant helped to pave the runway according to ITD highway specifications. The first paved runway at DIJ was 5,200 feet by 75 feet. Today, DIJ is identified as a Regional Business Airport and a Class II (C-II) design facility. The runway is 7,300 feet by 100 feet.

Did you know? Prior to shifting the runway to the east and lengthening the runway to 7300 feet DIJ had the highest accident rate of any runway in the State of Idaho.

No, it’s shifting! Approximately 2,000 ft of the runway will be removed from the south end and approximately 2,000 ft will be constructed on the north end. The landing zone will remain at 7,300ft in length. According to FAA data, we are slightly shorter than we should be taking into account our high altitude. Planes need more runway to land and take off at high altitudes than they would if they were at sea level.

1. Shifting the runway approximately 2,000 feet to the NorthEast and steepening the landing glideslope on both sides of the runway will have an incredibly positive impact for the community and the valley. It will boost safety, reduce overall noise, and relocate the runway to be equidistant between Highway 33 and N 2000. For a citizen at the corner of Highway 33 and LeGrand Pierre Avenue, landing aircraft will be 3 times higher than present altitudes and result in 10 times reduction in sound energy (-10 dB)! Aircraft taking off will result in over 6 times reduction in sound energy (-8 dB)! With the equidistant placement of the runway between Highway 33 and N 2000, the noise levels will be approximately the same on both ends of the runway for the community.

2. Safety First! The FAA identified this as a high need and consequently expedited the runway shift. It was projected to be completed in approximately 9 years but the FAA would like to accelerate the project. This is a multi-million dollar project benefiting the local economy by way of local contractors performing the work.

3. Once the runway shift is complete, the RPZ will be relocated onto airport property.

Actually, it would be considerably more expensive for the City.

1. The FAA will fund the relocation of the runway because they see that as a safety improvement. However they will not fund runway shortening because in their view that actually reduces safety (see FAQ #11 that describes how DIJ had a very poor safety record when its runway was shorter). So a runway shortening project would actually need to be funded by the City and City Taxpayers.

2. The City would also be responsible for ongoing maintenance as the FAA would no longer fund maintenance and projects at the airport.

In summer 2022, the airport purchased 245 acres of land using FAA grant funds. This land has now been deeded to the City. This area will be used to enable the runway to be repositioned to the NE.

The Airport Master Plan specifies various strategies to keep the airport within an ideal size for the community. One such strategy in use is keeping a 4:1 ratio of small hangars to large hangars.

The two large hangars built this summer paid for a taxiway project which will primarily benefit smaller plane users. So they are paying an outsized portion of the maintenance & funding so the airport can better serve the needs of the smaller planes that are flown by local pilots enjoying the sport of aviation.

Airport Master Plan PDF. While this is a lengthy document, please note that the introduction covers the planning process and public input history, and section 2-28 thru 2-35 covers land use compatibility and noise recommendations.

Also see 2.7 of the Driggs Comprehensive Plan for additional adopted city policy and action items related to the Airport Master Plan.

Runway Protection Zone: Runway protection zones are a trapezoidal area “off the end of the runway end that serves to enhance the protection of people and property on the ground” in the event that an aircraft lands or crashes beyond the designated runway boundaries. Runway Protection Zones underlie a portion of the approach closest to the airport.

Visual Flight Rules pertain to aircraft that do not have instrumentation on the plane that gives pilots specific information for takeoffs and landings, so these planes must be flown with the pilot's ability to see the runway approach for landing and takeoff visually. The Airport has published VFR procedures to help minimize noise over residential areas and requests that if conditions and wind direction are appropriate, the pilots use specific approach patterns to land on runway 22, or runway 4. See the Noise Management Page for details.

The Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport is not a towered airport. So aircraft using Instrument Flight Rules that fly into DIJ typically get instructions from Salt Lake Center. This is called an arrival on an instrument approach. For safety, larger aircraft will fly a straight pattern into the runway while smaller aircraft can fly slower and can better maneuver the pattern and approach at the normal traffic pattern.