| Airlne Empires Week in Aviation | ||
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| A Critical Turning Point For Canadian Airports |
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| Contributed by DreamlinerCP | |||
| Sunday, 12 February 2006 | |||
 With the rise of WestJet in the mid 90s, the merger of Canadian International and Air Canada in 2000, the demise of JetsGo in 2005 and the ever quickly growing charter industry, Canada's aviation industry has been through many tips and turns over the past ten years. In spite of this, air travel continues to grow in Canada, with almost every airport rising in passenger numbers each year (the main exception to this is Gander, which has seen a slow decline in passenger numbers since the arrival of transatlantic aircraft such as the A330 and B767, since it served mainly as a fuel stop in the 80s). In addition to the constant rise in passenger numbers, many of Canada's airport terminals are beginning to decay and fall apart, as they were mostly built back in the 70s. The departures level inside the new terminal at St. John's Int'l. Due to these unusual circumstances, airports all across Canada are facing high maintenance costs, and are in possession of air terminals which are busting at the seams, due to the lack of infrastructure and capacity in comparison to demand. Thus, over the next 10 years, most of  An overview of Ottawa's new passenger terminal building. The airport authority there is already calling out for a design to expand this building. Already, we are beginning to see airports across the country start construction on brand new, multi-million dollar terminals that will address the needs of the next 20 years, yet will still keep the airport's present functionality in mind. Examples across Canada include Toronto Pearson Int'l, Ottawa Macdonald Cartier Int'l, and Edmonton Int'l. Some airports have even finished their vast development programs; airports such as Greater Moncton Int'l, Saskatoon Diefenbaker Int'l, and Calgary Int'l. Other airports have only begun the design phases of their 'master plans', but it is a matter of time before the likes of Winnipeg Int'l and Vancouver Int'l begin large, multi-year construction projects.  An artist's impression of the new terminal at Winnipeg Int'l. The airport is set to begin construction on the new terminal within two years.  An overview of Vancouver's international terminal, with the proposed expansion area shown in the background. The airport is also proposing adding an additional terminal extension to the domestic terminal. As you can see, the Canadian aviation atmosphere is similar across the country, with many airports investing time and money into multi-year, multi-million dollar airport development programs, which will serve these airports for at least the next 20 years. Currently, airports across the country are embarking on a journey which will either make or break their airport authorities (for those who are unaware, in Canada, any airport consistently handling more than a set number passengers per year, or any airport serving a capital city, is operated by a self sustaining not-for-profit organization, called an airport authority). It is a critical time, and in order to keep up with demand, airports must carefully plan their every move, in order to maximize their potential. It is definitely not an easy job for any of these people, and they deserve alot of credit for their decision making abilities. 
But what does this matter anyways? Twenty years down the road, we will be at this phase again, and airports will again be trying to plan for the future. It's almost like a deja vu, wouldn't you say?
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