With passenger numbers taking off, new services are being added to those already available at Edmonton International Airport.

In the latest announcement, cargo and charter operations are in the process of expanding their business while retail offerings are being bolstered.

Built in the early 1960s to accommodate 2.5 million air travellers on an annual basis, consolidation of Edmonton flights at the International combined with a multi-phase expansion project means that number is now substantially higher.

This year, if the figures hold up – on a 12-month rolling average, passengers levels are 6.2 per cent ahead of last year – the International will return to and exceed pre-September 11 levels with around 4.1 million people per annum. Current forecasts predict that by 2015, it will reach 5.5 million.

Photos courtesy Edmonton Airports
Globemaster is set to provide cargo service to northern Alberta and B.C. with its Beech 1900.

“The influx of new developments into Airlinks Business and Cargo Parks is an indicator of strong regional economic growth,” said Scott Clements, president and CEO of Edmonton Airports. “New developments and services are integral to supporting new air services and air travellers, and to enhancing the local economy.”

Flightside expansion sees Executive Flight Centre, a Calgary-based aviation refuelling company, in the process of building a new 55,000-sq.-ft. fixed base operator (FBO) hangar at the International. The hangar is about 50-per-cent constructed and plans are for it to open November 1.

In addition to housing Executive Flight Centre’s expanded services it will also provide almost 14,000 sq. ft. of private hangar space to Cathton Holdings. Cathton, a privately owned Edmonton-based corporation, has operated corporate aircraft from the International for more than 20 years.

“We have seen tremendous growth in our operations at the International Airport,” said Dean Buckland, vice-president, Executive Flight Centre. “We feel this growth will continue and therefore have committed substantial capital to further enhance services at this airport.”

A lot of this relates to more northern charter flights, added Buckland, being fuelled by the oil, gas and mining sectors. “There has been tremendous growth since we began operations at the International in 1999,” said Buckland.

Work on the Executive Flight Centre is well under way.

The hangar space is to accommodate the extra flights the company is seeing at the International. It’s also increasing its terminal from 27 to 45 metres.

On the cargo side, Globemaster, a local company with a regional focus, is pioneering a new cargo route and is providing the only scheduled, all-cargo service across northern Alberta and British Columbia.

As of mid-August, Globemaster started operating a twin-engine turboprop Beech 1900 out of the International for its northern route, which includes Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Fort St. John, Fort Nelson and Calgary. The Beech 1900 can carry a payload of up to 2,475 kilograms and has a maximum speed of 499 kilometres an hour.

Founded by St. Albert resident Rick Moreau, the company leases 135 square metres of office space along with hangar facilities. It employs 11 people and is looking at imminent expansion plans that call for hiring more pilots and adding destinations such as Vancouver and the U.S.

“For all the reports we get from serving that route, demand is building all the time,” said Ken Watkins, Globemaster’s director of sales and marketing. “There has never been reliable air cargo going into those regions and we can offer same-day service.”

When it comes to cargo, Watkins said, “this region is dramatically underserved. There just aren’t enough (cargo only) operators to handle the load.”

Non-flightside changes will see the construction of the Rocky Mountain Car Wash building, to be located just behind the 7-11 convenience store and gas bar on the way into the airport. The 1,350-square-metre building will combine 10 self-service bays, a touchless car-wash bay, an oversized truck-wash bay, a two-bay lube centre and a Robin’s Donuts.

Architectural design by A&E Architectural & Engineering Group Inc., according to Hesham Elfar, principal at A&E, will create an impressive welcome at the gateway to the airport through the project’s Rocky Mountain theme, including stone and stucco exterior walls complete with gables, vaulted roof and a fireplace inside.

Edmonton-based Synergy Projects Ltd. will lead the construction of the project. Ground-breaking for the car wash took place this month, with a grand opening expected in mid December.

Rocky Mountain Car Wash, founded by Edmonton-area resident Sam Osman, will occupy approximately two of the 200 hectares of the Airlinks Business Park.

Preliminary plans, meanwhile, currently call for two 10-hectare developments, a retail park and an office development, to become a part of the park.

Both projects are in the negotiation stage, and combined with existing facilities would bring the park to 15-per-cent capacity.

Further, a light industrial business-to-business complex is being considered for the part of the remaining 85 per cent of the land.