Trail Regional Airport Business and Transition Plan i Executive Summary Since 2005, the Trail Regional Airport has developed as a site with no commercial service to one supporting over 25,000 enplaned-deplaned passengers annually. During that period, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) has operated and financed the site, and supported expansion and improvement of the airport’s infrastructure. In 2013 the City of Trail proposed to take over the airport and operate it going forward. Pacific Coastal Airlines operates a twice-daily service six months per year (in the winter) and thrice-daily in the summer to Vancouver International Airport. Pacific Coastal operates 19-seat Beech 1900s and 30-seat Saab 340As on the route. One of the major reasons driving Trail’s recent success has been the low level of commercial flight cancellations at Trail compared to Castlegar Airport (West Kootenay Regional). The Trail Airport is shown in Figure ES-1, looking eastward. Figure ES-1: Overview of the Trail Airport Source: Google Earth, Digital Globe Image 2013 Infrastructure. To support the continued growth of the airport, new infrastructure will be required within the next 10 years. This includes rehabilitating the runway and a new Air Terminal Building (ATB). This has been identified in the Master Plan prepared for the airport and in subsequent engineering analysis. The airside facilities at Trail Regional Airport consist of a single asphalt runway, Runway 16-34, which is 1,219m (4,001ft) long and 22.7m (75ft) wide, as shown in Figure ES-2. The red line shows the airport property boundaries. The blue line indicates the limits of the Columbia River to Draft of 3 January 2014 Confidential Trail Regional Airport Business and Transition Plan ii the west of the airport. The runway is certified as a Code B Non Instrument runway and is certified for Daytime VFR public use. The Beech 1900 is a typical Code B aircraft.1 Stopways are provided in each direction (545ft in the Runway 16 direction and 499ft in the Runway 35 direction) to improve take-off capabilities for the current Pacific Coastal flights. The strengthening of the stopways, has enabled Pacific Coastal to include the additional length in their takeoff weight calculations, thus reducing the need for payload restrictions on their aircraft. There are two taxiways, Taxiway A that provides entry and exit from the runway, and Taxiway B, which connects Apron I to Apron II. Taxiway A is 15m (49ft) wide while Taxiway B is 11.3m (37.3ft) wide. Apron I is the larger apron, 97m (321ft) x 46m (150ft) and Apron II is a smaller apron surface, 39m (129ft) x 32.4m (107ft) which is located in front of the passenger terminal (and clubhouse for the Trail Flying Club). Figure ES-2: Airport Runway and Taxiway System Source: Trail Regional Master Plan 2011 - 2031 The Airport Master Plan calls for an improved Air Terminal Building, improved parking facilities, and utility upgrades. Demand. The airport has experienced strong passenger growth in the last eight years, and this may extend into the future. However, as many regional airports passenger numbers stabilize at some point, and to provide a conservative estimate, this plan assumes no significant passenger growth in future years. (If growth occurs, it will improve the airport’s revenues.) Operations. The site is an operating commercial airport which requires ongoing support and management. Winter operations require additional seasonal staffing. On a year-round basis, the site requires management, regulatory and marketing management, and operational support. It is 1 As pointed out in the Master Plan, The airport may seek approval from Transport Canada to allow smaller Code C aircraft to use the site with its current runway. For example, Revelstoke Airport is allowed to receive Dash 8 aircraft. Draft of 3 January 2014 Confidential Trail Regional Airport Business and Transition Plan iii recommended that a full-time Airport Manager, and a combination of support roles be provided to support the site’s ongoing operations. Financial Plan. The plans assumes that the City will make a number of significant capital investments in the coming years. These include runway rehabilitation, development of a new Air Terminal Building, Parking expansion, and other site improvements. The total value of these capital improvements would be over $6.3 million. Up to $5.6 million of this funding could be obtained from senior government programs and corporate donations. A conceptual plan for a new Air Terminal Building is shown in Figure ES-4. Figure ES-3: Proposed New Terminal Layout Source: Trail Regional Airport Master Plan 2011-2032. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to analyze how the airport would perform financially in different scenarios. These scenarios included increased passenger fees, slow passenger growth, and a municipal subsidy. Based on this analysis it was recommended that the city increase the per passenger fees at the airport and assume increasing operating fees in future years. Given the relatively small passenger base and the necessary infrastructure improvements (i.e., new terminal building), financial prudence will be required. It is recommended that the City aim to make the airport self-sufficient financially to develop infrastructure improvements at the site. Transition Plan. Assuming that the City of Trail proceeds with the airport transfer, a number of transition recommendations were made including: . Meet with air carriers and other airport related representatives early in the process and discuss the City’s plans for operating the airport. Draft of 3 January 2014 Confidential Trail Regional Airport Business and Transition Plan iv . Choose the final organizations structure for the airport early in the process and proceed to finding an Airport Manager for the site. If there are changes to the fee structure, give airport users as much notice as reasonably possible. At the time of takeover, publicly announced medium and long-term airport plans to improve the site. Create an Airport Consultative Committee (ACC) at the time of airport transfer as a formal method for dealing with the airport’s key stakeholders, the air carrier serving the airport and major corporate customers. (Kelowna International Airport has a similar committee.)Typically an ACC is airport companies only, but Trail is a unique site. Draft of 3 January 2014 Confidential .