Airport to benefit from increased links

The recent agreement to work with Edmonton and Prince George on issues of economic interest is apparently already paying dividends at the Prince Rupert Airport.

The Daily News explained in Monday’s paper how the new three city agreement has resulted in the Edmonton airport providing planning assistance to the folks at Prince Rupert.

The article also examined some of the ideas that Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond has about our transportation gateway.

DEAL LIKELY TO TAKE THE AIRPORT UP TO NEW HEIGHTS
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, April 9, 2007
Page one

Prince Rupert’s agreement to work with Edmonton and Prince George is already taking off, with staff at the airport of Edmonton helping Prince Rupert develop an airport strategy.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the three cities was signed two weeks ago in Edmonton.

William MacNeil, airport manager, said staff at the airport in Edmonton have offered to help Prince Rupert come up with a strategic plan that will address such things as the increased use expected to come with the development of the Fairview Container Terminal.

The two parties will be sitting down to discuss the plan in May.

“They offered their assistance in any way possible at no cost to us. That was quite a generous gesture,” said MacNeil.

“We’ve a date set to get together and try to look at our plan in terms of the demands that will come in the future and how we will package the airport in order to meet what is coming in the future.”

While Prince Rupert’s deep water port and rail lines have been upgraded to handle traffic from the new Fairview Container Terminal, B. C. Ferries has brought new resources on line to handle growth in the tourism sector and the community has a new cruise ship terminal to attract international travelers, the airport has not been upgraded to meet demands that could result from these developments.

“One of the interesting things that is happening in Edmonton is there is more coming at them than they can handle in terms of manufacturing opportunities and other opportunities,” said Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.

“They also want to grow their airport as an international airport and see this corridor as being very critical to that. If people could take a train from Edmonton out to Prince Rupert and grab a cruise ship for example there is all the more reason they might fly to Edmonton.”

When it comes to the airport, Pond noted there are some obvious things the airport society could be thinking about in the short term and some obvious things that need to be done in the long run.

“The question is, in what order do you do what,” he said. The strategic plan will address issues, although Pond already has a few ideas.

“This is a gateway, this is how many, many business people from all over the world are experiencing Prince Rupert for the first time. They get off an airplane and they still haven’t got clear direction on what it is that is about to take place and there aren’t very many amenities for them when they arrive. There are some changes we can make, subtle, small but as simple as having coffee available.”