Lethbridge Airport takes flight following renovations
The City of Lethbridge officially celebrated the grand opening of the newly renovated and improved Lethbridge Airport in the presence of stakeholders and government partners May 11.
Premier Jason Kenney said the grand opening was a big moment for southern Alberta and for the future of the region’s economy.
“It’s definitely a moment worth celebrating. This project is the result of close cooperation between all three levels of government,” said Kenney.
He wanted to thank the partners at the municipal level for doing so much to get all this work done quickly and on time for the people of Lethbridge.
“I’m proud to say that Alberta’s government has been a key funder of this project and thank you to Alberta’s taxpayers for putting up a lot of money as a significant part to make this happen,” said Kenney.
He said that the province’s investment in the project came through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative and Municipal Stimulus program which has been extremely important to many communities across the province.
With more than $23 million in funding coming from the Governments of Canada and Alberta, the City has capitalized on creating an economic-driver for Lethbridge and surrounding regions.
Mayor Blaine Hyggen said the City’s contribution of $2.6 million was used to leverage the substantial funding from other levels of government for a variety of critical infrastructure projects at the airport.
“Those projects are focused on increasing passenger traffic revenue, diversification through land development, fire safety and more — all positioning the airport for a pandemic recovery and future growth,” said Hyggen.
He said the airport is key to the growth of our economy and the investment put into the airport positions the city and our region in a competitive place for business impact attraction and retention.
Minister of Municipal Affairs, Ric McIver, said Gateway to Opportunity was a very appropriate motto for the City of Lethbridge as opportunity has been growing for some time and this is just an example of the government of Alberta and the city and people of Lethbridge working together to create a bigger gateway to opportunity.
“As a former minister of transportation, I know how important airports are as part of the network across Alberta and Canada, and this one will serve the people of this entire region for years and years to come,” said McIver.
He said that a busy airport means business, tourism and opportunities to travel to and from the city.
Premier Kenney said a big part of the Alberta Recovery Plan is increasing tourism and that is one of the reasons there is a need to expand airport infrastructure like the work completed in Lethbridge.
“This is going to be the gateway to southern Alberta now more than ever. They will have the capacity to take larger flights, provide world class service to people both leaving for their summer vacations but also people coming to do business and visit southern Alberta,” said Kenney.
Airport manager Cameron Prince said renovations started in January 2021 and took most of the year wrapping up in late fall.
“We’re just putting some finishing touches, you will see a lot more of the artwork and stuff like that coming in over the next little while, and we are continuing on with some of the airside stuff as well like pavement rehab,” said Prince.
The Terminal Building Renovation total was $6,320,000 with $700,000 funded by the City of Lethbridge and $5,620,000 funded by the Alberta Municipal Sustainability Initiative.
Substantial completion was accomplished in November 2021 with full completion by 2022.
They expanded the passenger hold room to allow for increased passenger numbers with additional airlines or larger aircraft to position at YQL.
Washroom facilities in the passenger hold room including washrooms to meet accessibility standards were installed and old seating was replaced with new modern furniture.
Airfield Upgrades and Pavement Rehabilitation and Waterline upgrades totaled $18,932,700 with $1,938,000 funded by the City of Lethbridge, $10,353,000 funded by Municipal Stimulus Programs (MSP) and $6,641,700 funded by Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP)
Completed in 2021 were the upgrades to pumphouse and water line service to ensure proper water supply for fire response at the airport and the installation of a new sand storage shed to ensure environmental factors do not degrade product for winter operations.
Part of the project started in 2021 with project completion expected by 2023 including the rehabilitation of aircraft maneuvering areas, including Taxiways A, B and C; Apron I, II and III; and Runway 13/31. Extension of Taxiway B was to enable future development of airside access lots and the replacement of the antiquated airfield lighting system to meet Transport Canada compliance standards.