By Cheryl Jahn

Airport Authority gets $3 million plus

Jul 20, 2022 | 3:53 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – “Keeping airports well-maintained is not easy.

With that, the federal Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra, announced two envelopes of money from two different sources and for two different reasons.

“One is the Airport Relief Fund. And that was automatic, based on the size of the airport and the regional role it plays. And that is a direct cash infusion to support operations,” he explains. “The second portion of the funding is the Capital Assistance Program. It’s an application-based program where the airport makes a submission.”

The first fund was $1.7 million, the second fund was $1.4 million. And that second envelope of money will buy the airport some new infrastructure.

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“We were able to successfully apply for funding for a new fire truck, a runway sweeper and a material spreader that we use to put sodium formate out onto the airfield during winter operations,” says Gordon Duke, President, and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority. “And then a shelter for the new fire truck.”

While that bundle of money is strictly earmarked for safety-related capital projects, the Airport Authority also has a capital wish list. Luckily, the airport did purchase some equipment prior to COVID, but there’s always something.

“So what we’re looking at right now will be smaller pieces of equipment that support summer operations,” says Duke. “Also, we’re looking to source alternate electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, that kind of thing.”

But the Prince George Airport Authority has a major project coming down the pipe that will be costly.

“We do have, at some point in the next decade, we have a huge project coming at us, re-surface our main runway. And that will be a huge cost. So we’re looking at ways we can do that. Really, that’s the big piece coming at us.”

Passenger numbers at the Prince George Airport continued to rise. The airport saw 28,621 passengers in April, 34,084 passengers in May, and 35,365 passengers in June. Prior to COVID, YXS was concerned about enough so-called parking for planes at the airport. It’s still in the plans, but the numbers aren’t there yet.