Desert Resorts Regional Airport (TRM): Coachella Valley's Second Commercial Gateway
Desert Resorts Regional Airport (IATA: TRM), also known as Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport's companion facility in Thermal, serves the southern Coachella Valley including communities like Indio, La Quinta, Coachella, and the eastern valley agricultural heartland. Located at approximately -115 feet below sea level on the valley floor, TRM is one of the lowest-elevation general aviation airports in California and offers a 8,500-foot primary runway capable of accommodating medium-category aircraft and military transports. The airport's Class D airspace is managed by FAA Western-Pacific Region.
TRM plays a vital role during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival—two of the world's largest music events held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio—when dozens of private jets converge on the airport over festival weekends, pushing TRM's operations to rival small regional commercial airports. The airport has invested in FBO services and overflow ramp capacity to handle the influx of charter and corporate aircraft bringing artists, executives, and celebrity attendees to the festivals. Outside festival season, TRM serves agricultural aviation, Border Patrol operations, and general aviation transients on the Los Angeles–Phoenix VFR corridor.
What is the IATA code for Desert Resorts Regional Airport?
Desert Resorts Regional Airport's IATA code is TRM. Its FAA identifier is also TRM, and it is located in Thermal in the southern Coachella Valley.
How busy is TRM during Coachella Festival?
During Coachella and Stagecoach festival weekends, TRM sees a surge in private jet arrivals, with hundreds of charter and corporate aircraft utilizing the airport's 8,500-foot runway and expanded ramp capacity.
What is the runway length at Desert Resorts Regional Airport?
TRM's primary runway measures approximately 8,500 feet, making it capable of handling turboprop and medium jet aircraft alongside general aviation traffic.
Is there commercial airline service at Desert Resorts Regional Airport?
TRM does not offer scheduled commercial airline service; Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) approximately 30 miles north is the Coachella Valley's primary commercial aviation hub.
What military operations occur at TRM?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection operates aviation assets from the TRM area for border security operations in the southern California desert, and the airport occasionally supports military training flights.
Desert Resorts Regional Airport - TRM Contact Information
Address, Phone Number, and Hours for an Airports in Thermal, California.
| Name | Desert Resorts Regional Airport - TRM |
| Address | 56-850 Higgins Drive, Thermal CA 92274 Map |
| Phone | (951) 955-9722 |
| Website | |
| Hours |
Map of Desert Resorts Regional Airport - TRM
Agricultural and Charter Aviation at Desert Resorts Regional, Thermal
Beyond its festival fame, Desert Resorts Regional Airport in Thermal serves the Coachella Valley's enormous agricultural sector, which produces the majority of the nation's dates, much of its table grapes, and significant quantities of citrus and vegetables. Agricultural aviation—both aerial application and survey flights—makes regular use of TRM and the surrounding network of private ag strips. Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner aircraft also occasionally operate from the Thermal area for pest monitoring programs protecting the valley's multi-billion dollar farming economy.
The airport's Riverside County Airports department manages TRM as part of a two-airport system alongside Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (also at Thermal), giving the county one of the most robust general aviation facilities in the Inland Empire. Long-term planning envisions TRM as a potential regional reliever airport if commercial growth at PSP continues to constrain general aviation access to the Coachella Valley. Caltrans Division of Aeronautics actively studies this corridor for multi-airport system planning.