Yellowknife (Sep 03/03) - A committee struck to decide the future of Yellowknife's airport is expected to recommend establishment of a business-led airport authority.

Committee members from the Yellowknife Airport are about to recommend that Transportation Minister Joe Handley (above) consult airline companies over an airport authority. Handley says consultations over the issue should take most of the fall. - NNSL photo

The authority would manage day-to-day operations and be responsible for long-term capital projects.

The Yellowknife Airport Stakeholder Panel is set to release its report next week, said Tim Gawne, branch manager of the CIBC.

He represented the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce on the panel.

The group also included representatives from the city, territorial government, chambers of commerce from throughout the NWT and representatives from the tourism and transportation industries.

Lease holders at the airport were represented indirectly by Steven Nourse of First Air and Peter Arychuk of Air Tindi, both of whom sat on the panel as representatives of the Northern Air Transportation Association.

Membership of such an airport authority would likely include businesses with a stake in how the airport is run, rather than leave management to political officials and government bureaucrats.

"Local people can make good, sound business decisions as opposed to a bureaucrat in Yellowknife," said Gawne.

The committee met from January to early June of this year and examined how other airports across the country have dealt with the issue.

"There's been a lot of concern aired over this issue and our sole purpose was to ask whether it would make sense to have a closer look at it and after some months we decided we should," said Gawne.

Even if the minister sets up another panel to look into the issue further, he can say "no way" and shut the process down at any time.

Handley said there is no desire from within his ministry to offload costs onto the private sector and ticket purchasers.

Prior to making any decision on an airport authority Handley would hold more consultations.

"I'd have to talk with the lease holders and negotiate the impact, revenue and expenses," said Handley.

He specifically mentioned Air Tindi, First Air, Buffalo Air Express, Arctic Excursions and Great Slave Helicopters as businesses that would be on his contact list prior to making any decision.

"It will take most of the fall to do the consultation work prior to coming to a final decision," said Handley.

Other concerns, said Handley, would include discussions over whether to change the location of the terminal as well as sewer and maintenance issues.

Moving from an airport which is driven by the territorial government to an authority "changes the way you deal with an airport from a service to a business operating within the private sector.

"Business has said they can run a business better than we can," Handley said.