Officials with Abbotsford International Airport won’t say if any announcements are pending, but they’re rippling with confidence after Friday’s official unveiling of a $30-million project to expand capacity.
The project, which received one-third contributions from the federal and provincial governments and the YXX airport authority, includes a new 9,600-foot taxiway and expanded apron as well as terminal upgrades, expanding capacity for cargo shipments, passenger travel – and aerospace-related industrial development.
The airport’s ability to attract and accommodate new development was highlighted in Friday’s commemorative opening of the new facilities, attended by Abbotsford MP and International Trade Minister Ed Fast, Abbotsford West MLA and Health Minister Mike de Jong and other dignitaries.
Abbotsford Mayor George Peary noted in a phone interview that the project not only finished on budget but bids for the major infrastructure improvements were lower than anticipated, which allowed for more work than was envisioned when planning for the project commenced in 2008.
“Any money raised at the airport stays at the airport,” Peary said. “When the opportunity came, the airport authority basically had its $10 million ready and they were ready to go. We managed to get both the federal government and the provincial government onside.
“We knew what we wanted to do. We wanted to build a parallel taxiway, which basically doubles the capacity of the airport and of our main runway because aircraft can now land and get off the runway. They don’t have to taxi back on it. That has been huge.”
Peary said the project has essentially transformed YXX into “a new airport.”
“The tenders came in dramatically below [expectations], because of the state of the economy. As a result of that we were able to expand the scope of the project to include a whole series of other improvements to the airport including a $1-million improvement to the interior of our terminal building. We put in a new electrical generating system for standby power so we are never without electricity. We put in expanded aprons, well floodlit. We’ve improved taxiways. We did an overlay of our main runway. We’ve also created an engine run-up out here for our main tenant Cascade Aerospace.”
While the work was going on, the authority initiated a series of information sessions drawing in potential tenants, stakeholders and government officials with the intent of expanding the airport’s role to grab a bigger piece of North America’s aerospace industry.
The Conservative government’s recent $9-billion decision to contract Lockheed Martin to build 65 F-35 military aircraft fighter jets could create new opportunities for aerospace sector support to the Tory stronghold.
Cascade Aerospace, based in Abbotsford, is already a world-class aerospace and defence contractor with certification to work on both Boeing and Lockheed Martin aircraft.
There is capacity for industrial expansion at the YXX, and off-site.
“We have lands adjacent to the airport that are just coming onto the market,” Peary said. “There are over 200 acres [80 hectares] that are just being serviced and will come onto the market shortly. There’s land adjacent to the airport, there’s land on the airport campus, and our land is nowhere near as expensive as YVR’s land [Vancouver International Airport], for example.”
The airport authority last month staged a ‘partnering for success’ networking event that attracted 50 representatives of aerospace companies, University of the Fraser Valley and government representatives.
Canada’s CAE and Seattle-based Boeing held one-to-one meetings with 13 Canadian aerospace and advanced technology companies focusing on potential ventures in Abbotsford.
“These people really showed an interest in the opportunity to start and develop aerospace industries in British Columbia and hopefully here in Abbotsford,” Dave Holmberg, airport authority chair, said in an interview.
The airport supports 2,000 direct jobs, anticipated to grow to 3,000 by 2020.
YXX hopes to shape the Fraser Valley community into a national hub for the aerospace industry. In the foreseeable future, national investment in aerospace could reach $20 billion.
“We have a very young population in our community compared to other places in Western Canada,” Holmberg said. “We have an opportunity for education. We have an opportunity to put these people all together for common objectives — live well, partner well, and be good citizens. That’s what this kind of opportunity for us in Abbotsford is all about.”
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