[PoscStudent]

St. John's International Airport to Double in Size


St. John's International Airport will double in size over the next 8 years. The Airport Authority held its annual meeting last evening in St. John's. Chair Darlene Whelan says the airport will add some 200-thousand square feet of new airport terminal space to accommodate the province's growing economy.

A record 1.4-million passengers passed through the airport in 2011, more than any other year on record. By 2020 it's predicted that some 1.9-million will pass through the airport terminals.

The airport will double in size by 2020, with some 200-thousand square feet being added to both the east and west ends of the existing building. More terminals, plane space, baggage and passenger areas will be added.

Starting in June, construction will begin on a new airport access road that will replace the road that has been used to enter the airport for decades. The new road will be built further up Portugal Cove road, and will bring visiting traffic to the east end of the airport for access. The existing road will be used for employee and truck traffic only.

She says this year people in the area will begin to notice changes in the airport parking lots as well as the construction of the new airport access road.

The installation of the $26-million CAT 3 ILS landing system will begin in July, and once complete will eliminate fog as a flight canceller for 70-thousand passengers annually.

As the province's oil sector continues to flow and expand, it's expected that all helicopter traffic to and from offshore oil rigs could end up passing through the airport to depart and arrive, instead of using the existing Cougar base now.

Construction and upgrades at the airport are not expected to disrupt airport operations in 2012, however delays and disruptions for travellers are expected to begin in 2013. Whelan says the long term benefits of the airport upgrades will outweigh the short term delays that are expected next year.

She says the current building is designed for 900-thousand people per year, a huge increase from the 1990s. Whelan says the renovations have been designed using a 'conservative approach'.

• Video Link

Source

Pictures