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Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) has announced that it is investing $19.4 million dollars over the next 27 months to expand the lower passenger departure lounge.
The project includes doubling the size of the existing lower passenger departure lounge, providing dedicated aircraft gates and covered walkways, new washrooms and additional food and beverage and retail.
Victoria International Airport (YYJ) saw another record year in 2017 with 1,934,832 passengers, up 4.2 per cent over 2016.
In response to this strong passenger growth and the use of larger aircraft in existing markets, construction of a 1,765-square-metre addition to the lower passenger departure lounge is set to begin.
“The upsizing of aircraft from 30-50 seat Dash-8s to 76-80 seat Q400s, combined with passenger growth, has driven the need to expand our lower passenger departures lounge. This is part of a multi-phase terminal and apron expansion plan. The need to improve safety on the main aircraft apron and create efficiencies for passengers entering and exiting the passenger departure lounge, resulted in the airport recently completing an apron expansion that now accommodates the physical space required to expand the glass departure building north and eliminate the existing covered walkway. These improvements will not only improve overall safety and operations but will also enhance the airport experience for our customers by providing additional seating, new accessibility considerations and enhanced concessions.
“We will do our best to minimize inconvenience; however, travellers will notice hoarding walls, temporary pathways to and from aircraft, and regular construction activities. We appreciate everyone’s patience during construction as we continue to improve the airport experience for our customers,” said VAA president and CEO, Geoff Dickson.
The offices of McFarlane Biggar (OMB) Architects in Vancouver was selected to lead the design team and Victoria-based Durwest Construction Management (DCM) will manage the project.
An economic impact study to measure the economic contribution associated with the ongoing activities of Victoria International Airport was recently completed.
It showed the total economic output to be $880 million and reinforced the importance of a vibrant and growing airport to the region.
It is projects of this nature that help facilitate growth at the airport and benefit the region as a whole. Since transferring to a local airport authority on April 1, 1997, VAA has invested $175 million into the airport and is debt-free.
