American Airlines will begin flying the 128-seat Airbus A319 on its direct flights between Durango and Dallas on Sept. 23.
The decision to add a larger airplane to the twice daily direct route between Durango and Dallas coincides with the growing air traffic between the two cities, said DRO Aviation Director Tony Vicari.
“Our market has grown significantly in terms of passenger traffic over the last several years,” Vicari said. “... We were up over 30% from our pre-pandemic numbers. And then so far here in 2025 we’re up another 11 to 12% through the first five months of the year.”
Vicari explained that the A319 aircraft is nearly twice the size of the regional jets that American Airlines typically uses to service DRO, which are usually between 65 and 76 seats.
“By swapping out the smaller regional jets and flying in the larger Airbus mainline aircraft, it allows American to add more seat capacity into Dallas and connecting through their market,” Vicari said.
Dallas, where American Airlines, is based, is one of the largest connecting hubs in the world and has historically been the second largest origin and destination market for DRO, behind Denver, Vicari stated.
“Having that added capacity creates more options for the traveler,” Vicari said. “It also can continue to assist in creating competitive airfare. The more supply that's created in a market – more seats in this case – just means that there is more demand, which tends to allow for different price points on tickets.”
Vicari said the larger demand for tickets coupled with the higher number of seats available through the new aircraft doesn’t necessarily mean that tickets prices will be lower, but rather that there will be more flight options, more comfortable planes to fly on and more competitive price points for the airlines servicing DRO.
United Airlines made a similar move in 2023, when it began utilizing the Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft on its direct flights to and from Denver International Airport, Vicari said.
American’s implementation of the A319 coincides with DRO’s expansion projects, meant to make the airport more accommodating to the growing volume of travelers.
“Passenger traffic has grown a lot over the last handful of years, and in response to that, we're in the midst of a multi year, multi phase terminal expansion project,” Vicari stated.
As part of its $30 million-plus expansion project, the airport will unveil its new baggage claim and arrival space in August, Vicari said. DRO is currently expanding its terminal building and adding more spots to its surface parking areas, which will unfold in phases over the next three years.
