New airport master plan looks to build on growth
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/02/2024 (574 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The new master plan being proposed for Brandon Municipal Airport would help it develop to accommodate projected increases to air traffic and passengers over the next 20 years, the airport’s manager told city council at its Tuesday meeting.
The plan proposes about $26.8 million worth of capital improvements like expanded runways and aprons be made to help facilitate that extra traffic, as well as potential commercial developments like flight schools and cargo business.
“It’s been a while to get it to this point,” said manager Greg Brown. “Lots of consultation with different groups, lots of the stakeholders at the airport, airport users and around the airport.”
Brown said the airport has seen “significant growth” in movements of aircraft, especially when it comes to flight training and to a lesser extent, air ambulance trips and commercial traffic.
Unlike many airports, Brown said Brandon owns the land it sits on rather than leasing it from the federal government. That gives it more control over how the land is developed and used.
While much of the land use in the master plan’s map is beyond the timeframe of the plan, Brown said planning ahead will allow the city to pivot if operational needs change or investment opportunities arise.
Barriers to further commercial development at the airport’s east side include needed water and wastewater utility improvements as the current system is over capacity and providing a low quality of service, as well as the current runway apron being too small.
Brown cautioned that there will likely be factors the plan does not account for, like the continued aftereffects of the pandemic on the Canadian aviation industry, potential regulatory changes, changes in route status by air carriers and the state of the economy.
The airport, Brown said, is “constantly” reaching out to major airlines looking to expand air routes available in Brandon.
“We’ve run into some issues with direct flights to the south,” Brown said. “Not that we can’t overcome them — they’re different challenges we currently don’t have in the airport’s capacity.”
In the past decade, Brown said close to $27 million in improvements to equipment and infrastructure have been made at the local airport by all three levels of government.
“The majority of that investment would not have been made without WestJet regular scheduled service,” Brown said.
Some of those improvements include the new terminal building, the new maintenance building, installing LED runway lighting, and resurfacing of the runway and taxiway scheduled for this year. A further $1 million worth of grant applications for further improvements have been submitted.
Debate over the master plan was deferred until the March 4 meeting of council.
» cslark@brandonsun.com
» X: @ColinSlark