The Grand Canyon Airport is owned by the State of Arizona, and operates under the state Department of Transportation. The state opened the present airport, built on the site of an earlier Grand Canyon Airport, in 1965.
The Grand Canyon Airport is located outside of the actual Grand Canyon National park. The airport is in Tusayan, about seven miles from the Grand Canyon's South Ridge and two miles from the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.
As of 2008, connecting flights out of Grand Canyon Airport operated several times daily, solely to Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, providing visitors with a convenient means of transport into and out of the Grand Canyon area.
Visitors can also enjoy commercial tour flights through the Grand Canyon itself that depart out of the Grand Canyon Airport. Various airlines operate both fixed wing and helicopter tour flights out of the Grand Canyon Airport. Tour flight operators include Air Vegas, Grand Canyon Airlines and Scenic Airlines. You can make arrangements to participate in one or more of these tour flights at the Bright Angel Lodge Transportation Desk inside the Grand Canyon National Park.
In addition to the connecting flights from Las Vegas, you can get to Grand Canyon Airport by way of a shuttle bus system from the Grand Canyon Village. A number of car rental services also operate at Grand Canyon Airport. As of 2008 only one runway provides access from the air to Grand Canyon Airport for all incoming and departing flights.
The Arizona Department of Transportation plans several improvements to Grand Canyon Airport by 2012. These include a new terminal building and improved drainage for the airport.
