Edmonton Aiport Syndicate

[just another pilot]

Billion-dollar expansion needed to cope with city's economic boom

By RENATO GANDIA, SUN MEDIA

Ballooning number of passengers at the Edmonton International Airport has forced a $1-billion three-phase expansion, the airport's CEO announced yesterday.

And Reg Milley wouldn't rule out an eventual hike in the airport improvement fee for passengers.

"We don't foresee having to do that in the near future," he told Sun Media in a phone interview yesterday before attending a public meeting at Telus World of Science. "At some point in time, we may have to. But not right now."

The airport improvement fee at Edmonton International is $15, while other air terminals in Canada have recently increased that fee from $16 to $20, Milley said.

Management plans to generate a construction fund largely from "non-aeronautical" revenues, Milley added.

The airport has been experiencing unprecedented growth due to the economic boom, he said.

"We're growing at a rate that's far exceeding any airport in Canada, pretty much in North America."

The three-phase expansion will begin in 2008 and is expected to be finished by 2012, just in time for when the number of passengers at the international airport is expected to swell by 8% or from six million to nine million annually.

A building will be added to the south end of the terminal and new gates for departure and arrival will be opened.

Currently, the airport has 17 gates, which departing and arriving airplanes clog most days, Milley said.

"Every morning there's an airplane in every gate waiting to get in or to get out and most days there's a third plane waiting," said the CEO.

To help ease the congestion, the airport will expand its apron space - parking for aircrafts - for the first phase of expansion, followed by the construction of a hammer-head-like building with 13 new gates.

The third phase will be connecting the hammerhead to the existing terminal.

Aeronautical fees for the airlines are also not expected to go up.

"If we increase fees to the airlines, they just pass it on to the customers. You don't want to do that," said Milley. "That's why we're doing a phased approach."

Edmonton Airports, he said, is in a "unique position" to generate revenues from other sources.

"We've got land that we can develop and get non-aeronautical revenues," he said, but did not elaborate on what kind of development management may consider.

The airport expansion itself will add new retail and food concession spaces, which are revenue sources, he said. Plus the continued increase in passengers will bring more revenue to the airport, he added.

Ward 5 Coun. Bryan Anderson said the airport needs to negotiate with the City of Edmonton and ETS to bring regular bus service to the airport to alleviate its "parking woes."

Construction of the new expansion is expected to peak by late 2009 to early 2010.

What ? forcing consolodation has caused congestion? Isn't that what this mob wanted? By the way if you want bus service, might I suggest Greyhound?