Quesnel Regional Airport on became the latest B.C. airport to get funding for upgrades September 27.
Northern Development Initiative Trust’s board of directors approved a $244,815 grant to support a major apron expansion at the City of Quesnel-owned airport.
The current apron is 52,500 square feet, which is one of the smallest certified airport aprons in British Columbia. The small size means the airport cannot accommodate multiple aircraft effectively.
The city plans to expand the apron 42%, by an additional 22,500 square feet. The expansion will provide access to a new multi-use hangar and aims to attract aviation-related businesses and light industry.
The Quesnel upgrades are part of a trend of B.C.’s regional airports being increasingly able to service larger planes and land them reliably in poor weather.
That is leading to more flights being scheduled between smaller B.C. communities and major centres, thereby opening up business across the province.
http://www.biv.com/article/20130820/BIV0118/308209941/0/SEARCH/Airport-investments-landing-business-opportunities
WestJet Airlines Ltd. (TSX:WJA) launched daily flights between Nanaimo Airport and Calgary International Airport in June through its regional WestJet Encore subsidiary with planes carrying 78 passengers.
WestJet Encore simultaneously launched direct daily flights between Fort St. John’s North Peace Regional Airport and Calgary and between Fort St. John and Vancouver International Airport.
Last December, United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE:UAL) launched daily flights between Kelowna and Los Angeles International Airport. The move followed WestJet’s launch of weekly ski-season flights between Kelowna and Los Angeles the previous month.
Kelowna International Airport – B.C.’s third-largest airport – is in the midst of a $50 million expansion.
Transport Canada has pumped $92 million into capital and safety improvement projects at B.C.’s regional airports since 2003. The provincial government has invested $66.3 million in 38 airports throughout the province in the past decade.
Last year, Nanaimo Airport completed a $10.3 million upgrade that followed a $16.4 million upgrade in 2009. About $17.8 million, or two-thirds of that money, came from the federal and provincial governments, including the B.C. government’s Island Coastal Economic Trust.
Nanaimo’s upgrades included a terminal expansion, extra parking for planes and travellers and an instrument landing system that significantly improved the airport’s ability to land planes in poor weather, Nanaimo Airport CEO Mike Hooper told Business in Vancouver.
“We’ve gone from having a 74% reliability rate in the winter months before 2009 to having a 99% reliability year-round,” he said. “That was key in helping us attract new flights.”
