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RANKIN INLET
The Rankin Inlet airport will receive some desperately needed upgrades this coming year.

Nunavut Community and Government Services Minister Lorne Kusugak said this past week in Rankin that the $27 million in joint funding to improve the Rankin Inlet airport is badly needed for it to keep up with the growing demands on its services. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The federal and territorial governments teamed up this past week to announce the Rankin airport will receive $27 million in improvements to better handle the approximately 55,000 passengers who use its services annually.

The announcement was made at the Rankin airport by Leona Aglukkaq, federal Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, and Lorne Kusugak, Nunavut Minister of Community and Government Services.

Further announcements concerning upgrades to the airports in Baker Lake and Cambridge Bay are expected in the near future.

Aglukkaq said the Rankin airport is critical to getting people around the Kivalliq and enabling the flow of goods and services across the region.

She said the rising number of passengers and the increase in economic mining activity in the region have combined to greatly increase the pressure on the Rankin airport.

"Our government is committed to improving existing infrastructure and building modern infrastructure to help communities maintain stable and healthy economies," said Aglukkaq.

"We're also committed to investing in infrastructure that will also support and stimulate growth in this region."

The improvements are slated to include upgrades to the airport runway, the installation of new electrical systems and a taxiway expansion.

The terminal building may also see expanded restrooms and a new public waiting room.

The improvements were included in the Government of Nunavut's 2011-12 and 2013-14 capital plan under the federal government's provincial-territorial base fund.

Kusugak said the number of travellers passing through the Rankin airport has almost tripled during the past decade alone.

He said the amount of government business travel is also steadily increasing and, with the opening of the new correctional facility and healing centre in Rankin, that trend is going to continue.

"It's expected the amount of air traffic through this terminal will also increase with the growing economic development of the mining sector, especially in the Kivalliq region," said Kusugak.

"The funding to improve this facility is a welcome sight.

"Upgrades to this infrastructure will meet the growing space requirements for aircraft, passengers, vehicles and cargo to ensure the safe passage and movement of operations and personnel.

"In addition to making the airport safer and more comfortable for travellers, these upgrades will also make it easier for more traffic to flow through our community."

Shawn Maley, director of Nunavut Airports, said he expects the upgrades to the Rankin airport to actually begin this coming spring.

He said the main thrust of the project is expanding the apron and taxiway. Increasing the size of the airport terminal building will be done on a budget-permitting basis.

"We've got a huge congestion problem in Rankin Inlet and it's reached the point where it's a severe safety issue," said Maley.

"This project will alleviate that by giving us enough room on the apron to safely manoeuvre aircraft.

"We actually have a restriction in place here which requires any non-scheduled airline coming into Rankin between noon and 3 p.m. to get permission from us on Monday to Friday.

"An airport never wants to turn planes away but, generally, we're just not giving them permission because we have no room."

Maley said Nolinor Aviation, a charter airline in Montreal, Que., which handles charters for Agnico-Eagle Mines, has tried to come to Rankin at noon.

He said the airport is simply too busy at that time and the airline can only land its charters in Rankin before or after its busy period.

"Sometimes we'll be phoned about transatlantic flights, and we'll advise them they either have to land in Rankin in the morning or wait until Saturday.

"As far as inside the terminal goes, the ratio they use in the south for planning an airport terminal building is generally two people for the flying public, which translates to one person flying and one person greeting.

"Here in Rankin, we have between four to six people, on average, greeting most of our passengers.

"You throw that into a terminal building and you can see what happens by coming to the Rankin airport five days a week between noon and 3 p.m."

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