Edmonton Airports is putting its efforts into ground control as it seeks to improve access to Edmonton International.

Enhanced road access, better ground transportation options along with reduced ground transportation travel costs are all on the authority’s flight plan.

The initiative comes as 100,000 additional passengers are expected to use the International once changes are made to current service levels at Edmonton’s downtown City Centre Airport and planned airport travel corridor modifications are instituted because of these adjustments.

Late last month, Edmonton Airports laid to rest any talk that it planned to shut down the City Centre facility. Instead, it will keep the airport open to air ambulances, medevac, government and charter service flights. It will, however, limit scheduled passenger service.

The northern Alberta communities of Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, High Level and Peace River will maintain current flight schedules, but with planes limited to 10 passengers or fewer. No additional expansion will be allowed on these routes.

But Edmonton Airports is shutting down what it calls a backdoor by eliminating all scheduled passenger flights south. This, the authority said, causes leakages that end up favouring more flights out of Calgary instead of Edmonton.

The decision ultimately means that travellers from Lethbridge and Calgary will no longer be able to fly directly into downtown Edmonton on scheduled passenger service.

These flights will be consolidated at the International as of July 31, 2005.

“Edmonton Airports’ mandate is to provide the best possible air service for this region and we have heard and responded to the concerns raised by northern Alberta and Edmontonians,”said Edmonton Airports board chair Margaret Bateman.

“We believe this region has tremendous opportunities as a northern gateway and we must do what is necessary to maximize those opportunities while protecting against the greatest overall risk to air service.”

The authority says its objective is to pursue aggressively a commuter enhancement program within the one-year transition period that will put an end to the Lethbridge and Calgary flights from the City Centre operation.

The program includes a priority lane through pre-board screening at the International, a dedicated parking area within the International’s parkade along with a dedicated exit lane and what it’s calling Airport Express, a new downtown check-in with shuttle service.

To be located at the World Trade Centre Edmonton at 9990 Jasper Ave., Airport Express is scheduled to open by the end of August.

The plan is to provide a downtown check-in opportunity for business travellers, convention attendees and hotel guests.

The program is just part of the authority’s wishlist for upgrading accessibility at the airport. It includes:

* Extension of the corridor lighting along Calgary Trail and Gateway Boulevard, as opposed to the current unlit highway segment from the city’s outskirts to the airport. This is partly to address safety concerns.

* Affordable, convenient ground transportation.

* Bus service to and from Edmonton and the Inter-national.

* An Edmonton Airports and Calgary Airport Authority program with a marketing focus on the corridor between the two cities.

Longer-term issues include:

* Fast tracking of the planned overpass for 23rd Avenue at Calgary Trail and Gateway Boulevard.

* Extension of the LRT to the airport.