New runway to land first flight June 28

CALGARY - After decades of planning, three years of construction, and a $600 million price tag, the Calgary International Airports new 14,000-foot parallel runway will land its first flight on June 28.

CEO Garth Atkinson, speaking to reporters following the Calgary Airport Authoritys annual public meeting on Thursday, said the project is now in its final phases.

Weve got some grass seeding to do, some paving on the shoulders, there are some LED lights to go in, Atkinson said. This runway was planned over 40 years ago ... So to see it all come to pass through a lot of planning, a lot of design and construction, and so many efforts by so many people over the years is quite exciting.

The new runway will be the longest in Canada, capable of landing the largest aircraft in the world with fewer payload restrictions. Last year, NAV Canada opened a new $25 million air traffic control tower at the airport to give controllers a clear line of sight to the new runway. From ground to tip, the new tower measures more than 300 feet nearly twice the height of the old one.

Its possible the old air traffic control tower could be torn down soon, Atkinson said.

We were going to see if anyone wanted to lease it. But its a very particular building and it doesnt look like its necessarily suitable to lease, he said. If nothing comes along, it will likely be demolished ... If land development is moving along well, well probably take down the old tower either this year or next year.

The new runway is just one component of the major expansion going on at YYC. In October of next year, the airport plans to open a new international terminal with 22 new aircraft gates. There are 1,600 construction workers on the new terminal site each day, and Atkinson said that will ramp up to 1,800 next month.

Atkinson also spoke about the airports efforts to secure another direct flight to Asia, in particular China. Right now, Air Canadas Calgary-Tokyo flight is YYCs only direct link to the Asian continent.

We are focused like a laser beam on China, said Atkinson, adding YYC officials have been there several times in the last six months and are planning another trip there in the near future.

However, he said Beijings international airport is so busy that landing slots are limited. He added a Calgary flight wouldnt be economical unless it enabled passengers to make convenient connections to other Asian destinations.

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New runway to land first flight June 28