Traffic at Northwest Regional is taking off
Northwest Regional Airport gets busier
Thursday, Sep 4, 2008
TERRACE – The Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat has been experiencing significant growth in the last two or three years – about 12 – 15 per cent each year.
Airport manager Laurie Brown attributes the growth to Terrace’s central interior location and to unprecedented economic growth in the area.
“The airport is about halfway up the province,” Brown explains. “We’re about a six hour drive from Prince George which is the next largest airport besides ours in this part of the region.”
Surrounding centres include Smithers, Prince Rupert, Kitimat and the Nass Valley. The catchment area for the airport boasts a population of about 90,000 people. The Northwest Regional Airport is served by Air Canada Jazz, the locally owned Hawk Air and Central Mountain Air.
Terrace-Kitimat boasts six flights per day to Vancouver and total air traffic accounts for about 120,000 passengers per year. The airport has a full service Flight Service Station (FSS), a 7,500 ft runway and an Instrument Landing System that ensures 99.9 per cent reliability,
Brown points out that the population of Terrace and adjoining Thornhill combined is 20,000 making it the second largest populated area in the northern part of the province.
He says that he expects air traffic to increase, especially over the next couple of years. Rio Tinto Alcan, which operates a large plant in Kitimat, is set to begin a multi-billion dollar expansion this fall, which will bring in a great deal of activity.
Mining exploration is also booming in the area and the Port of Prince Rupert Development also has potential to turn the area into a loading zone for the port. There have also been significant mineral discoveries in the area.
“That kind of activity will pick up the slack that the community has experienced as a result of the decline in the forest industry and the fishery out of Prince Rupert,” Brown says
He points out that Terrace also has other attractions, particularly for young people who plan to work in the area. “The scenery is spectacular. We have a lifestyle up here that is very active – the fishing is fabulous, there’s hiking, a ski hill, camping, we’ve got unbelievable powder – for an active person it’s a great lifestyle.”
Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat is at 103 – 4401 Bristol Road in Terrace.
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