Jumbo jets won't encroach on suburban sprawl
Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 23/01) - Yellowknife Airport could accommodate direct flights from the Pacific Rim, says the territories' director of airports, Jim Winsor.
But he warns that Finance Minister Joe Handley's vision, which would involve extending the runway to handle those jets, won't come cheap.
Winsor has pegged the cost of adding 750 metres to the existing 2,250 metres of blacktop at between $5 million and $6 million.
The resulting 3,000-metre runway could safely handle the largest wide-body jets in regular operation.
There are no such plans at the moment, but last week Handley said he would like to see flights carrying passengers from the Pacific Rim fly directly to Yellowknife.
When asked about Handley's suggestion, Windsor said "we'd love to" expand the runway "if we had a business case to take to the bank."
The current runway length is geared toward domestic flights, and until that focus changes, "we can't justify" the millions an extension would cost.
"It requires a trigger," he said, noting that airport planners are always thinking ahead -- up to 20 years -- to keep on top of issues like suburban sprawl.
The noise associated with take-offs and landings is a major issue for the neighborhoods near the airport, but Windsor said the newer wide-body jets such as the Boeing 767 are much quieter than the 737 passenger jets taking off daily from Yellowknife.
He said Transport Canada was "generous" when airport lands were set aside years ago. There is enough room to ensure an extended runway would not encroach on Yellowknifers.
Regular jumbo jet landings would also require upgrades to the terminal building, further inflating expansion costs.
The lack of current plans, aside, Windsor agreed that changes may be inevitable.
Yellowknife airport is working from a four-year-old development plan, but tourism, especially from Japan, has boomed since then.
"It's hard to see the tourism growth and not contemplate" a longer blacktop, Windsor said. The largest aircraft are capable of landing at Yellowknife's airport, but only in an emergency. The airport's other runway is 1,500 metres long.
