Edmonton International Airport: A Constant Evolution

By Nerissa McNaughton

Edmonton International Airport’s new Central Tower

Oilers-themed baggage carousel. Photo courtesy of B.Hayden.Photo courtesy of Edmonton International Airport. Photo courtesy of Edmonton International Airport.

The Edmonton International Airport (EIA) is an ex-citing hub of activity and adventure. Whether you are taking off for faraway lands, coming home after

your journey or meeting an arriving loved one, your pulse quickens and your senses heighten when you set foot on the grounds of EIA.

Although EIA has been trending in the media for its re-cent expansion, the history and facts of the airport are just as interesting. For instance, did you know the airport has been open since 1958? The original terminal was built in 1963, and it’s still standing. It is comprised of the old tower and the north end of the facility.

When it opened, EIA was the second largest airport in Canada. It functioned as an important refuelling stop, as planes back then didn’t have the flying range that they do today. The original terminal was 27,668 square metres. To-day, the terminal, including the new central tower, is an impressive 140,297 square metres – that’s larger than 17 football fields. Thanks to the large amount of land owned by EIA, the airport has been able to expand on site over the years rather than relocate to a larger area.

With a history stretching back to the 1950s and over 120 departures daily, the fact that there has only been one inci-dent at EIA resulting in loss of life is a testament to the skill and efficiency of the staff and airline crews. The accident happened in 1973 when a Pacific Western Airlines Boeing 707 cargo jet hauling cattle from Toronto crashed a mile short of runway 30. All five crewmembers perished, as well as the cattle on board.

While the crash was big news back in the day, these days the EIA news is all about the expansion. Traci Bednard, vice president/passenger market develop-ment, has been with EIA for 15 years. Bednard is excited about the new look of the airport. “It’s not what people were expecting!” she exclaims; perhaps because the result is a fusion of technology, green space and function seldom seen in such harmony in a place as busy and industrial as an airport. “We wanted to de-

velop and airport that reflects our community here in Edmonton,” Bednard continues.

The renovations were an absolute necessity as the pre-expansion terminal, designed to process 5.5 million passengers annually, reached 5.2 travellers per annum by 2006. EIA passenger traffic swelled by 71 per cent between 2002 and 2008, making the goal of working with 10 million passengers annually impossible without significant expan-sion. The planning phase took two years and construction commenced in 2009. From conception to completion, the $670 million project took six years.

Highlights of the expansion include: • More shopping and eating destinations, including the Belgian Beer Café, the Heineken Lounge, Caffè Sorrentino, Dufry Duty-Free, Coney Island Candy, iStore, Indigo Spirit and Chili’s Express.

• Upgraded, centralized baggage delivery system that includes fully automated tracking and cutting edge baggage screening technology.

• US Quick Connect security station that allows passengers to proceed directly to their US connecting flight. This service includes baggage transfer.

• Green technologies such as solar water pre-heating, low-flow toilets and energy efficient ventilation.

• Soon-to-be-opened luxurious Renaissance hotel; the first Renaissance-brand hotel to be attached to an airport.

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EIA’s Renaissance by Marriott Hotel, opening this fall.

“We have great facilities and a great airport,” says Bednard. “It’s a different airport than it was a few years ago.” One of the notable differences is the stunning Living Wall. The Liv-ing Wall, a wall comprised of live plants and mosses, is the largest of its kind in North America.

When we think of winter in Alberta, the first thing that comes to mind is all that snow. For an airport, snow and ice mean trouble. Despite the 239 centimetres of snow-fall seen over the course of nine separate storms between January 2011 and April 2012, EIA remained open for the

entire winter season. Their performance in snow and ice removal earned them a Balchen/Post award in 2012.

Currently, EIA is the fastest-growing major airport in Cana-da. EIA is also one of the fastest growing cargo airports in North America. Part of the expansion included major upgrades to the cargo facilities and the creation of “Cargo Village”. Cargo Village accommodates the supporting businesses that are vital to air logistics, including the Canada Border Services Agency, brokers, freight forwarders, air carriers, distributors, warehous-ers, shippers and receivers. September 2013 sees EIA hosting

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Photo courtesy of B.Hayden.

Living Wall. Photo courtesy of Merle Prosofsky.

Central Hall. Photo courtesy of B.Hayden.

solutions@bbex.com 1-866-746-4223 www.bbex.com

“The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.”- Sun Tzu (b. 544 BC)

“We draw the line.”

BBE wishes to congratulate the Edmonton International Airport on the great success in the expansion of their passenger and cargo services!

the 65th anniversary conference of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA), in recognition of EIA’s new role as a leader in cargo aviation.

Always one to move with the times, EIA is also one of Canada’s most active airports in terms of social media. It has the third largest group of followers on Twitter and Facebook and was ranked third place for excellence in social media at this year’s Airport Council International – North America conference in Atlanta.

EIA is flying into a future bright with promise. Myron Keehn, EIA vice president of commercial development, is excited about the airport’s next steps. “Now that Expansion 2012 is complete, our focus is on filling the building and ex-panding our network of non-stop routes,” says Keehn. “Our vision is ‘more flights to more places,’ and this is our promise to Edmontonians.”

“We’re also actively promoting Edmonton around the globe through trade missions and conferences, and we’re thrilled that the provincial government has made promoting Alberta to the world a priority going forward,” Keehn con-tinues. “We’ll be working closely with the province and the EEDC to promote this region and this city, thereby ensuring that we have that inbound traffic as well as outbound.”

Keehn points out that the good news about EIA’s future extends from the passengers to the community as a whole.

“We’re also continuing to improve on our passenger experi-ence here at EIA. In June we held the official grand opening of the Plaza Premium Lounge at EIA, making us one of only three Canadian airports to provide this unique pay-in VIP lounge service and we’ll be opening the Renaissance by Mar-riott Hotel in the fall. We’re also continuing to promote the city’s arts and culture through sponsorship, art installations at the airport and live entertainment featuring Edmonton’s finest emerging artists.”

It takes just a glance around the clean, efficient, beautiful airport to see the work, love and care that has gone into trav-eller’s comfort over the many years, and this is something VP Bednard is particularly proud of. “We want Edmontonians to feel proud of their airport,” she concludes. “The airport is a first impression of a region.” The locals are very impressed and there is no doubt that visitors to Alberta’s capital city find EIA the perfect entrance into the city of Edmonton.

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