Initial Turbulence
The Denver area was originally serviced by the Stapleton International Airport, which opened in 1929, and began being decommissioned in 1985 to make room for the newly proposed Denver International Airport. Stapleton was too small to service the growing crowds interest in international travel, Denver neighborhoods were expanding toward the airport, and local communities were threatening to sue due to noise pollution. These concerns led to a proposal by the newly elected Denver mayor Federico Peña to build a new airport on newly annexed land.
