Ontario, Canada: Lake Simcoe Airport presents business plan

ORO-MEDONTE - Lake Simcoe Regional Airport manager Michael Drumm is a busy guy now that Buttonville Airport is closing in 2015.

“Not a week goes by that his phone doesn’t ring and somebody is asking about relocating their aircraft here or in many cases relocating their business here,” said Ward 6 Coun. Michael Prowse, who is on the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport Board.

“We are getting a lot of interest as well from Pearson (International Airport) customers,” he said, because there isn’t enough hangar space there.

That means the Oro-Medonte airport is in a good position to take advantage of its location near Toronto.

And at the Oct. 24 general committee meeting, Barrie councillors are expected to get a peek at the strategic plan for the airport.

“With the extension of our runway and the closing of Buttonville, we are one of the very few airports in proximity to Pearson that can even accommodate corporate jets,” said Prowse.

The Lake Simcoe Regional Airport just completed $14 million in retrofits and finished a 6,000-foot runway.

The airport is also served by the Canada Border Service Agency, which allows for international passengers and freight.

All of that means the local airport is now able to look at the option of bringing in scheduled commercial flights, said Prowse.

“Prior to the infrastructure work, these were not areas we were able to compete in,” he said.

“Plus we currently have approximately 142 acres of land that could be developed to accommodate businesses that rely on or service the aerospace industry.”

He said the airport isn’t waiting for Buttonville to close before enticing future business and customers.

He said the airport industry was affected by the economic slump, but there has been a recent “resurgence in both traffic movements and the related fuel sales.”

He said Transport Canada is forecasting modest growth in general aviation for the next decade.

“Our business plan is conservative and only calls for modest growth, but even modest growth generates jobs and we continue to make the airport more attractive for businesses and as a result have attracted a lot of interest from start ups and relocation,” he said.

Prowse also said a vibrant airport is really just a business park that supports the aerospace industry. Maintenance jobs, manufacturing jobs, food industry jobs and service-related jobs, will come from a local airport.

“We already have 45 people working at our airport/business park through several different employers,” said Prowse. “That is what we are creating here, we are laying the foundation for future employers and employees to exist closer to home.”

http://www.simcoe.com