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A view of the runway at Parkland Airport taken in the summer of 2014. PADC Photo
For the first time in over a decade, Transport Canada has certified a new Canadian airport. The Parkland Airport (CPL6), located 30 minutes west of downtown Edmonton on the outskirts of the city, received official certification on April 28, 2015, following a year-long certification process.
The response from the general aviation community – particularly those displaced from Edmonton City Centre Airport, which closed in November 2013 and prompted the development of Parkland – has been positive.
“Our sales of aviation lots have certainly shown there is a need for this facility,” said Robert Gilgen, the president of the Parkland Airport Development Corporation (PADC). Traffic from northern Alberta and regional traffic has increased as word of the new airfield has spread, and two flight schools – the Edmonton Flying Club and E-Z Air Helicopter Service – already operate there.
The new airport was conceived in 2012 by a group of pilots led by Gilgen. The goal was to provide another alternative to City Centre, which was closed to make way for new residential neighbourhoods in the city’s core. The closure left two flight schools, dozens of privately-owned aircraft, and numerous business aviators in the lurch. Other nearby airports, including Edmonton International and the smaller Villeneuve Airport, were also possibilities, but some former City Centre users felt another choice was needed.
Aircraft parking spots are beginning to fill up. PADC Photo
“Villeneuve Airport was initially created and developed to be a training airport for pilots and air traffic controllers,” explained Gilgen. In his opinion, “The layout and design weren’t really suitable for much further expansion, and the Edmonton Airport Authority didn’t intend it to be anything bigger,” lest it compete with the international airport. The international airport, meanwhile, is too big for many of the City Centre refugees, with high landing fees and steep land development and leasing costs.
But others disagree with Gilgen’s opinion of Villeneuve Airport, pointing out that Edmonton Airports has spent more than $7 million on infrastructure upgrades to the facility since 2002. A list of recent improvements at Villeneuve include a runway extension to 5,000 feet, as well as a new Category 1 instrument landing system, FBO service, and the development of a number of new aviation lots which have subsequently been leased. The airport also recently obtained CANPASS status, meaning that international flights are now able to land and clear customs at the field, instead of being forced to choose Edmonton International Airport.
However, Gilgen and his team believed there was a business case for a brand new airport. “We felt there was a need for a new medium-sized commercial airport that was privately run and independent of the Edmonton Airport Authority,” he stated.
But identifying a need and filling it are two different things. “One of the biggest challenges was trying to convey that this idea was even feasible,” Gilgen recalled. “Because so many airports are closing, people did not initially think that it was possible to open a new one.”
Financing was another challenge. According to Gilgen, roughly $10 million has been spent to date, with another $5 million expenditure on the horizon when the terminal building is completed and the runway is extended from its current 2,600 feet to 5,300 feet of pavement length over the summer. The PADC expects to recoup those costs mainly through the sale of aviation lots at the airport and further business development.
Under construction since September 2013, the airfield – then classified as an unregistered aerodrome – received its first tenants in November 2013 during the mass migration from City Centre. Official Transport Canada and Nav Canada registration was achieved in April 2014, allowing the airfield’s particulars to be published in the Canada Flight Supplement. With certification, Parkland Airport now complies with all applicable Transport Canada aviation standards and will be able to receive scheduled passenger service in the future.
Planes park at the Parkland Airport’s fueling area. PADC Photo
Emergency response and wildlife management plans, airport manuals and safety management systems are among the reams of documentation that the PADC had to develop and submit for approval. “On the flying side, on the physical facilities side, and on the operations side, there are many rules and procedures to adhere to – many more than for a registered aerodrome,” said Gilgen. “The main focus of all of this is aviation safety.”
The certification process was actually a learning curve for both parties. While the PADC team pored over Transport Canada regulations – helpfully published online, and discussed in meetings and communications with Transport Canada – the government agency also had to revisit what exactly needed to be done. More airports in Canada seem to close every year, but a new one opening is a much rarer occurrence.
“Getting through the process has been challenging,” Gilgen admitted, “but we hope that this example will show to others that yes, it is possible to build a new airport.” He points to several aerodromes in the northern Alberta oil sands that may look to certify in coming years as their passenger traffic increases. “Airport certification is an important process for aviation and public safety,” he added.
