Brandon airport gets more than $10M in safety upgrades

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This article was published 20/10/2023 (716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The main runway at Brandon’s Municipal Airport will be repaved next spring or summer as part of more than $10 million in safety upgrades from the federal government.

“Absolutely we are excited,” said aiport manager Greg Brown.

”There are two runways at the airport, but there’s only one that’s paved and that’s the main runway 08-26. We applied to the airport capital assistance program for funding to have that resurfaced,” Brown said.

The announcement is great news for the city, with the repaving providing many benefits, said Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcet.

“More than $10 million is a serious investment in our airport, and it’s great for our community. It bodes well,” Fawcett said.

The funding from Ottawa comes through Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program. It will be used to repave Runway 08-26 as well as the taxiway and apron.

The taxiway is a strip that runs parallel to the runway that aircraft use to get from the terminal to the end of the runway, so it doesn’t interfere with other aircraft landing or taking off.

The apron is the area where aircraft is parked, loaded, unloaded, refueled, maintained, and boarded.

During the paving process, it’s expected to be completed without interrupting Westjet Encore’s daily flights, according to Merrilea Metcalf, corporate communications officer with the City of Brandon.

“We have hired a consulting firm to manage the project to ensure we can meet the necessary safety requirements and maintain scheduled service.

“This could be reducing the runway length to the minimum WestJet needs, doing construction after the flight, and having it ready for use the next day,” Metcalf said.

The funding agreement between the Brandon airport and the federal government has been in place since April 1 of this year and continues until March 31, 2025, covering all materials, labour and equipment.

This is good news for the communities the Brandon Municipal Airport serves, said Pablo Rodriguez, federal transport minister, in a statement released yesterday.

“Our government will continue to invest in a strong, resilient supply chain. Safe and efficient local and regional airports are a key part in that,” Rodriguez said.

The Brandon Municipal Airport has two active runways – 08-26 is the primary paved one, and the secondary 14-32 is used for light aircraft only and has a gravel and asphalt surface.

The lifecycle of pavement at an airport is 20 years, and the last time Brandon’s was repaved was in 2001.

WestJet Encore launched its daily non-stop service from Brandon to Calgary International Airport in September of 2013.

Because of the increase in the number of passengers, the terminal building was expanded, with the redevelopment project beginning in 2015 and completed two years later in 2017.

While no date has been given as to when the main runway will be paved, it’s expected to begin in the spring of 2024.

Since 2016, the federal government has provided the Brandon Municipal Airport with more than $2.3 million in funding from the Airports Capital Assistance Program.

The funds were used for projects and equipment, including the purchase of a grader used to remove snow from the runway, wildlife control fencing, and improvements to electrical systems on the runways and taxiways.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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