Yarmouth airport runway to be re-paved this fall
Board sees chartered flights as a more reasonable future for airport
The 06-24 runway at Yarmouth International Airport will be repaved this fall. The work is part of a planned repair and retrofit program for the primary runway, which is the biggest issue facing the airport right now, says the airport’s interim manager.
Alain Muise, who is also the CAO for the Municipality of Argyle, accepted the interim position last December. He presented a vision plan to the board shortly after.
In August 2017, the airport corporation voluntarily changed the airport’s certification from 302 to 301 to ensure continued air service from the airport.
The 302 certification is very rigorous and requires the same regulations that large airports currently maintain. Repairs and capital improvements were estimated at a minimum of $6 million to regain 302 status.
Muise told Municipality of Yarmouth council members during a Sept. 12 presentation that he believed they would be pleasantly surprised after the paving was completed. He added that overall costs for running the airport were reduced this year by a considerable amount.
Coun. Trevor Cunningham asked Muise if there was any hope on the horizon of a regular passenger service going to Portland. The last carrier to offer this service was Twin Cities Air Service a few years back. After Air Canada flights to Yarmouth stopped long ago, over the past two decades there have been various small operators who have provided service to either Halifax or Portland but all ceased operations. Other operators have included Air Nova, Sou’West Air and Starlink Airlines.
“We have had conversations with the MP and MLA not on the restoration of passenger service, but the restoration or retrofit of the airport,” said Muise.
“We cannot do passenger service the way we are right now. We are not 302 certified and we won’t be unless we do some major retrofits.” To reach that level, he says, a complete retrofit of the 06-24 and new lighting is required.
“That’s an approximately $8to-$10 million project,” he said.
He added the lights are about 15 years past their useful life and that the runway, while usable at this point, would not meet 302 standards. The new certification would also require about $ 250,000 in annual operating costs.
“The board has basically moved away from the thought that we would get passenger service restored on a regular basis. They see chartered flights as a more reasonable recommendation,” he said.
A four- year agreement between the airport and the three local municipalities is in its final year.
In May 2015, the Town of Yarmouth, Municipality of Yarmouth and the Municipality of Argyle approved the inter-municipal agreement, in which units committed to a funding amount of $770,000 per year.
The funding – and approvals of the airport’s strategy and business plan – are approved annually by an Airport Oversight Committee. An audit committee was also appointed.
While there is no regular scheduled passenger air service the airport is still busy. Usage includes private planes, private charter flights, EHS LifeFlight, Coast Guard and military search and rescue aircraft, 14 Wing Greenwood and other users. This past year the hanger at the airport was used in the filming of the movie The Lighthouse. Interim airport manager Alain Muise presented an update to the Municipality of Yarmouth earlier this month.