Edmonton - On June 30, the last regularly scheduled flight takes off from Edmonton City Centre Airport, but for Northern Air owner Rob King, it’s more the start of a new opportunity than the end of an era.
The airline’s first scheduled flight at the Edmonton International Airport, where it is relocating to the Executive Flight Centre, takes place on July 4.
“If we’re all negative and crying in our beer, that doesn’t bode well for our business,” King said Tuesday.
The airline has known the move was coming since 2007, when it received its five-year operating licence. Its charter and air ambulance flights continue to operate from the City Centre Airport.
He would have preferred to continue regular-service flights in and out of the downtown airport because that’s what most of his customers want. The charter airline flies four daily scheduled flights between Peace River and Edmonton.
“But they don’t have a choice and they know that we don’t have a choice, so I guess our hope is that we will continue to serve these people and they will help us by using our airline.”
The bright side to moving scheduled flights to the International is proximity to the main terminal for connecting passengers; the disadvantage is increased travel time to downtown Edmonton, he said.
Despite the loss of regularly scheduled flights, it’s business as usual for most of the approximately 48 companies remaining at the City Centre Airport, which will eventually close to make way for residential development. Businesses include aviation supply and servicing, small airlines, flight schools, car rental and a refrigeration company.
“If they have long-term leases, they’re not really making plans to move,” said Mary Anne Stanway, a secretary at Envision, a pro-municipal airport business group and managing director at tenant Airco Aircraft Charters.
Unlike Northern Air, most don’t have a clear idea of when they will be forced to move.
“They don’t really have any guidelines from the city, so nobody knows what the possible date (of closure) will be,” Stanway said. “As long as there’s no date, people just continue to go about their business.”
For many businesses, moving to the International, Villeneuve or other airports is not feasible because of the cost of moving, distance from markets and lease rates, she said.
Airco is fighting the airport’s eventual closure with a lawsuit alleging breach of its 25-year lease, which with a renewal option, could take it to 2048.
“We are staying until we’re given some clear direction from the city,” Stanway said.
“We have money invested in the hangar we’re at. We could just never afford to go build another hangar at another facility while we own the hangar we have at City Centre. At the same time, nobody’s going to buy our hangar.”
The city has chosen Vancouver firm Perkins and Will to turn the City Centre Airport land into a family neighbourhood for 30,000 residents.
Construction is scheduled to start in the summer of 2014.
Phil Sande, the City of Edmonton’s executive director of City Centre Airport redevelopment, said the remaining airport lands will operate until city council votes to close it entirely.
“That has not happened as of yet,” Sande said. “City council in any such decision would have to work with Edmonton Regional Airports Authority as well as with Nav Canada in order to properly process that.”
Nav Canada controls air traffic and provides flight, weather and aeronautical information at the country’s airports.
Council also wants the issue of medical flights settled before closure takes place, he said.
The city currently has 25 land leases, in which tenants may have buildings on that land. It also owns buildings on-site leased directly to 21 tenants, who may sublease space to other tenants.
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