Airport staircase in the way, to be moved at $200,000 cost
Relocation of central staircase leading to 2nd floor among $9.4M in capital spending planned next year
A big central staircase is coming down while administration expenses are going up at Kelowna’s airport.
And passengers will pay a higher ticket tax next year and again in 2020, with the so-called airport improvement fee set to climb from $15 to $25.
The 2019 plan for YLW includes a budget of $200,000 to demolish a staircase between the airline check-in counters and the departures wing. The staircase, which leads to the second floor and an observation deck, is an impediment to passenger walkability within the terminal, airport managers say.
“Budget is requested to demolish and relocate the stairway within the air terminal building to allow for better passenger traffic flow, provide better way-finding and mitigate any congestion,” reads part of the airport capital section to be considered by city council on Thursday in 2019 budget deliberations.
The budget also proposes airport administration expenses rise from $3.3 million last year to more than $5.1 million in 2019.
The increase is “mainly due to increase in salaries and wages and professional and consulting services,” the report to council states. Consultants are providing reports on storm-water management, environmental issues and an “aerospace campus.”
Overall, the airport’s operating expenses are forecast to rise from $40.5 million this year to $43.8 million in 2019.
After several years of busy construction activity at the terminal, capital spending will ease off next year. Including the staircase demolition job, capital projects of $9.4 million are planned, compared to $26.4 million this year.
The two biggest capital projects are a $5.3-million expansion of the airport’s long-term parking lot and a $2.7-million plan to pave a portion of another parking lot that’s currently gravel. That second lot, on the north side of the terminal, is used by airport staff, air crews and the terminal’s valet parking program.
Advertising signs will be updated and expanded within the airport, at a cost of $175,000.
“Budget is request to allow for the modernization
and enhancement of the existing advertising signage, and identify new advertising nodes within the air terminal building,” the report to council states.
All the capital projects at YLW are funded by an airport reserve, a major source of which is the passenger ticket tax. The charge, applied on the cost of all flights departing YLW, is set to climb from $15 to $20 next year, with another increase to $25 proposed for 2020.
As a result of the 2019 increase, revenue from the ticket tax will rise from $13.2 million this year to $14.6 million next year.
The fee was first imposed in the 1990s at a rate of $5 per ticket. The staircase that’s now deemed to be something of an obstacle to good passenger flow within the terminal was built as part of a $20-million airport upgrade completed in 2000.
Passenger traffic at YLW has increased 38 per cent in the past five years.