INFORMATION SUPPLEMENT MEETINGS/CONVENTIONS/TOURISM Air force ground crew Airports offer the first – and last – impression of a destination. What do Atlantic Canada’s airports say about the region? By Emily Sollows atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | Atlantic Business Magazine 71 MEMBERS OF THE ATLANTIC CANADA AIRPORTS ASSOCIATION tlantic Canada’s airports are soaring. With routes at record New Brunswick highs and fares at all-time lows, Bathurst Regional Airport Distance to city/town: 8 km, 13 minutes more people are flying than ever before. Flies to 1 destination (Montreal) A Number of Runways: 1 Infrastructure is expanding and route Max. length of runway: 5,000 ft. Largest plane to ever land: Hercules No. of passengers 2014: 49,500 capacities are growing and increasingly, Ongoing or planned renovations: Planning major terminal renovation and runway extension at a airports are becoming not just places to cost of $7 million; recently rehabilitated apron and taxiway A. pass through, but attractions themselves with uniquely regional cultural programs — Fredericton International Airport Distance to city/town: 14 km, 17 minutes live performances, art exhibits and friendly Flies to 4 destinations plus seasonal flights south Number of runways: 2 volunteers waiting to welcome travellers. Max. length of runway: 8,010 ft. Largest plane to ever land: Antonov No. of passengers 2014: 315,000 Ongoing or planned renovations: Terminal expansion project Welcome to Halifax When passengers arrive at Halifax Stanfield International Airport (HSIA) Greater Moncton International Airport — Atlantic Canada’s largest airport — Distance to city/town: 10 kms, 8 minutes they taxi along the runway, enter the Flies to 7 seasonal sun destinations; 6 year-round Number of runways: 2 gate, then walk through the terminal, Max. length of runway: 10,001 ft seeing the shops, restaurants, local Largest plane to ever land: Boeing 747 artwork — and Cheryl, dressed in No. of passengers in 2014: 678,000 Nova Scotia tartan and a welcoming Ongoing or planned renovations: building an smile. Airport Operations Facility that will house the maintenance team, the electrical team and Growing up, Cheryl Byard wanted firefighters. Scheduled to open this fall. to be a flight attendant. She moved to Halifax and walked confidently toward her dream, into an interview Saint John Airport with Air Canada. She didn’t get far. Cheryl Byard has volunteered 750 hours Distance to city/town: 16 kilometres, 23 minutes She’d injured her eye and didn’t meet since she first started with the Tartan Team Flies to 6 destinations at Halifax Stanfield International Airport Number of runways: 2 the vision requirements to be an airline staff member. Shifting career in March 2012. “I love airports. People are Max. length of runway: 7,005 ft. going and coming, you meet people from all Largest plane to ever land: C5 Galaxy paths led Cheryl to her current job as over the world,” Cheryl says. No. of passengers 2014: 250,000 a senior Crown attorney in Dartmouth, Ongoing or planned renovations: Renovating N.S. But every Saturday from 12 p.m. runways and other paved airfield surfaces, terminal building, water and wastewater to 4 p.m., she fulfills her dream of faces of HSIA. “People know that treatment facilities. helping travellers as a Tartan Team when you go to the Halifax airport, volunteer, greeting some of the there are volunteers here who are 3.6-million travellers who trickle helpful,” Cheryl says. “It’s an airport Prince Edward Island through the airport yearly. they look forward to coming to.” The Tartan Team comprises more Cheryl is right. Year after year, HSIA Charlottetown Airport than 100 volunteers, dispersed is ranked among the best airports Distance to city/town: 8 km, 12 minutes throughout the airport, welcoming, in the world. The airport received Flies to 5 destinations guiding and helping any passengers Number of runways: 2 third best airport in the world under Max. length of runway: 7,000 ft. from any airline travelling through five million passengers, fourth best Largest plane to ever land: Airbus 330 HSIA. Similar welcome programs have regional airport in North America No. of passengers 2014: 317,827 also made their way into the Greater and sixth best airport staff in North Ongoing or planned renovations: Renovation Moncton International Airport and America by the Skytrax World Airport of boarding counters and runway rehabilitation project. Gander International Airport. Awards. Cheryl and the rest of the Tartan Team have become the community 72 Atlantic Business Magazine | September/October 2015 Greater heights Canada to be above the national Nova Scotia Flying in Atlantic Canada is now growth trends for 2014. They don’t Halifax Stanfi eld more enticing than ever. Monette expect this trend to slow anytime International Airport Pasher, executive director of the soon, predicting progress to continue Distance to city/town: Approximately 40 km, Atlantic Canada Airport Association, through 2015. “Air transportation is 35 minutes says: “The fares are more attractive no longer viewed as a luxury motor Flies to 49 destinations (peak season) than they’ve ever been. There are travel, it’s become integral in our Number of runways: 2 Max. length of runway: 10,500 ft. more routes; more way of life and I think Largest plane to ever land: Airbus A380 people are flying to people want to get (world’s largest passenger airliner) more places more DID YOU KNOW to their destinations No. of passengers in 2014: 3,663,039 often. It’s a much more Passenger traffi c quicker and easier,” Ongoing or planned renovations: Development global economy.” The says Pasher. There has of airport property; improving traffi c fl ow with at the Charlottetown new roadway system. trend in increasing Airport has grown 75% also been a shift in routes and passenger the way people travel. traffic is Atlantic-wide. since the opening of “People aren’t doing Pasher says passenger the Confederation those two-week family J.A. Douglas McCurdy traffic has risen nine Bridge in 1997 holidays anymore. They Sydney Airport Distance to city/town: 15 km, 20 minutes per cent in Atlantic might be taking a week Flies to 2 destinations Canada over the past South and then a couple Number of runways: 2 five years. Airports have secured 17 of long weekends with their family,” Max. length of runway: 7,070 ft. new routes and increased capacity she says. “Those types of multiple Largest plane to ever land: Boeing 757 No. of passengers in 2014: 199,655 Passengers on 11 existing routes. In 2013 alone, short getaways really lend themselves Ongoing or planned renovations: replace roof on passenger traffic jumped 4.4 per cent. to air travel because of the time and air terminal building, installation of septic fi eld, Pasher says the official numbers are convenience.” replacement of provincial hangar apron, and not in yet, but she expects Atlantic Pasher points to the shift away replacement of electrical sub-station. atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | Atlantic Business Magazine 73 from road and ferry travel, especially province as they recognize that prominent in the Newfoundland growing trend in people wanting Newfoundland and Labrador and Labrador economy. In 2014, to travel by air and the need for Gander International Airport N.L.’s air travel increased 6.4 per moving people for the mobile Distance to city/town: 2.5 km, 4 minutes cent; their ferry traffic decreased 6.7 workforce.” It’s not just St. John’s Flies to 7 destinations per cent. Now, 79 per cent of non- International. Of the 12 airports Number of runways: 2 resident visitors fly to the province. ACAA represents, 10 are either Max. length of runway: 10,500 ft. This influx of flyers has prompted planning or undergoing upgrades or Largest plane to ever land: Antonov Mriya 225 the St. John’s International Airport expansions. “Air passenger traffic No. of passengers 2014: 145,000 Ongoing or planned renovations: $2 million to undergo a major expansion, has grown by 22 per cent in the renovation and parking lot expansion in 2015; more than doubling their size and last decade in Atlantic Canada. Our working towards new terminal building. capacity by 2020. “They’re really airport infrastructure needs to be building a better gateway to their continually expanded.” Deer Lake Regional Airport Distance to city/town: 5 km, 7 minutes to Deer Lake; 50 km, 30 minutes to Corner Brook Flies to 9 destinations Number of runways: 1 Max. length of runway: 8,005 ft. Largest plane to ever land: Boeing 757 No. of passengers 2014: 336,789 Ongoing or planned renovations: Long-term parking expanded. Goose Bay Airport Distance to city/town: Located within the Town of Happy Valley Goose Bay Flies to 15 destinations Number of runways: 2 Max. length of runway: 11,046 ft. Largest plane to ever land: Antonov 225 No. of passengers 2014: 160,000 Ongoing or planned renovations: Mobile workforce distribution centre is under construction and will add a further 11,000 square feet to terminal facilities. The St. John’s International Airport features live music on a St. John’s International Airport seasonal basis, hosting concerts Distance to city/town: 8 kilometres, 15 minutes during Christmas and the Flies to 12 destinations summer. Entertaining travellers Number of runways: 3 are (top left, moving clockwise) Max. length of runway: 8,500 ft. musicians Julia Bowdring, Largest plane to ever land: Antonov or C5 Galaxy Kat McLevey and the Walsh No. of passengers 2014: 1,600,000 brothers. Photos courtesy SJIA Ongoing or planned renovations: $245M expansion and improvement plan – terminal size will more than double by 2020; airfield accessibility will increase to 99 per cent by implementing Cat III technology to help planes land in low visibility conditions; and will be the only airport in Canada with less than 10 million annual passengers to have a CAT III ILS.