New $2 billion Calgary airport terminal ready for takeoff

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Fifteen years of planning, five years of construction, a $2.6-billion investment.

The numbers give a sense of the scale of YYC’s airport development project, the most ambitious undertaken on Calgary International Airport property since the opening of the existing terminal building in 1977.

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For most Calgarians, however, the magnitude of this project — which included the construction of a new runway, operational since 2014 — won’t be apparent until the morning of Oct. 31, when the Calgary Airport Authority throws open the doors to its new International Terminal.

On that day, travellers headed to U.S. or international destinations will see first-hand what all that time, money and effort has produced.

At nearly two million square feet, the equivalent of 34 football fields, the new international terminal will, on opening, instantly double the size of the existing airport terminal. It will include 24 new aircraft gates, offer streamlined customs and connections services, and feature the very latest in security screening and boarding processes.

It will also position Calgary International Airport — already an important driver of the local economy and a gateway to the world for so many Calgarians — for decades of future growth.

This is the first in a five-part series of stories about the new international terminal at YYC. Future stories will look at the terminal’s expected long-term impact on air access in Calgary; innovation and technology inside the new building; ways in which the new terminal will showcase Calgary to the world; and how the airport is preparing for opening day on Oct. 31.

“This is not like adding a new concourse or even a few gates — it’s a whole new terminal,” said Garth Atkinson, CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority. “People may say, ‘why did you build it so big?’ Well, we’re not building it for today or even 10 years from now, we’re building it for 30 years from now. Because we have to — if we don’t, we will have made a mistake.”

Calgary International Airport has seen consistent passenger growth over the past two decades, driven by population increases and years of economic growth as well as Calgary’s well-placed geography, which makes it a natural hub for connecting flights. Between 2000 and 2015, passenger volumes at the airport nearly doubled, growing to almost 15.5 million from just over 8 million. YYC now competes with Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau for the title of the third busiest airport in Canada.

In fact, Atkinson said, on a per capita basis, Calgary offers more direct flights to more places than any other city in Canada. The existing airport infrastructure was simply no longer keeping pace, he said. 

“For the five or six years leading up to (the opening of the new runway in 2014), this airfield was full at peak times during the day and for four or five hours in the evening. Many flights were being held on the ground in Edmonton, Vancouver and Fort McMurray,” he said. “And we’re full in the terminal right now — we don’t have any more gates. So this is a capacity-driven project.”

Louis Saint-Cyr, vice-president of airports and guest experience for WestJet, said the Calgary-based airline (which is experiencing its own rapid growth, recently launching international service to London with its new 767 jets) has been challenged in recent years by the lack of gate availability at YYC.

“This is going to take away that congestion, and it’s certainly going to be helpful. We are not going to have to worry about gating in the foreseeable future like we have to in other airports,” Saint-Cyr said.

Crowding in other areas of the airport, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance, was also becoming a problem for airlines that had to build room for increased passenger wait times into their scheduling, said Bill Devlin, Air Canada’s senior director for airport development.

“Pre-clearance for U.S. departures was really a challenge for all parties, the airport as well as the airlines. We would have significant congestion in Calgary because of that process,” Devlin said. “So this (new terminal) is absolutely key to our commercial interests in Calgary . . . It puts Calgary up to the new standard.”

Passenger improvements

While the new terminal will ease congestion and clear the path for future air traffic growth, it is much more than just a bigger building. It is also a showcase for some of the latest, state-of-the-art developments in air travel, with new technologies and processes in place from check-in to security to baggage claim — some of which do not yet exist anywhere else in Canada.

“You only build a big new facility like this once in a proverbial new moon,” Atkinson said. “So you’ll see some of these features at other airports, but I don’t think you’ll see all of them at any airport. Whereas we have the opportunity to put it all together, and really create a good passenger experience.”

For departing passengers, that experience will start in the spacious, light-filled check-in hall. Automated kiosks and a self-serve bag drop system will speed the check-in process, while a new, state-of-the-art baggage system — the first of its kind in North America — will track each bag individually through 10 kilometres of track and conveyor belt.

Travellers will then proceed to security, where the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has installed CATSA Plus, a combination of new technologies and procedures that the agency hopes will improve passenger experience and decrease wait times. Calgary is the first airport in Canada to feature a full checkpoint with the CATSA Plus technology, which — among other things — will feature a remote screening room where a team of security officers analyze x-ray images on multiple screens, a continually moving conveyor belt, and an automated bin return for transferring empty containers to the start of the screening line. CATSA Plus is expected to eventually become the standard nationwide.

There are new technologies and procedures at U.S. pre-clearance as well, where automated passport control kiosks are expected to reduce the amount of time travellers spend in front of a U.S Customs and Border Protection officer. (Similar kiosks will also be in place for arriving passengers clearing customs when entering Canada.)

After security, travellers will have access to two retail plazas featuring 50 new shops and services and two walk-through duty-free stores. New additions to the airport’s retail and restaurant offerings include Spolumbo’s, Vin Room, Belgian Beer Cafe, Lammle’s Western Wear, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt and Bistro on the Bow.

A secure connections corridor running from the existing terminal will give passengers who have to connect from an existing concourse several options. They will be able to walk, take one of eight moving walkways, or catch a ride with the YYC Link passenger shuttle. These custom-designed, electric-powered, 10-passenger vehicles will quickly transport travellers and their luggage throughout the terminal, all while the driver of the shuttle answers questions and talks up Calgary’s tourist attractions.

For passengers connecting through Calgary to another destination, a new “one-stop security” initiative means passengers and their belongings that have been screened at their point of departure may not have to go through additional screening in Calgary. They will not have to collect their bags and will be able to move from one flight to the next with minimal stress and rush.

“It will be a really, really seamless and fast and customer-friendly connection,” Atkinson said.

Economy, employment

The airport authority estimates about 2,000 new jobs will be created as the result of the new terminal — everything from food and retail workers to security staff, and airline employees to the new “Customer Care Ambassadors” who will be on site to answer travellers’ questions and help them navigate the building.

Those new jobs are in addition to the estimated 11 million man hours of construction work created during the course of the project. At peak times over the past five years, more than 1,200 workers — the equivalent of a small town — have been on site.

When construction began five years ago, and certainly when it was planned 15 years ago, no one could have known that the opening of the new terminal would coincide with an oil price rout and one of the sharpest economic downturns in Calgary’s history. Still, as of September of this year, passenger volumes at YYC were tracking almost two per cent higher than in 2015 — proof, Atkinson said, that Calgary International Airport has become a hub for Western Canada, capable of riding out fluctuations in commodity prices.

The timing of the project also means the opening of the new terminal has become a bright spot during a period of economic gloom. In August, when the airport authority hosted a career fair to fill some of the positions at the new terminal, thousands of people queued for hours for the chance to hand in their resumés.

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“We’re a big economic boost for Calgary right now when times are a little tougher,” Atkinson said. “I’d rather have a robust economy that was growing fast, but I would say to you that a lot of people are happy that we’re going ahead and opening and creating some good news at this time.”

Mary Moran, CEO of Calgary Economic Development, said the airport already contributes close to $8.3 billion annually to Calgary’s GDP. Not only is the new terminal good news in terms of job creation, but it will give the airport the capacity to handle new routes and welcome new airlines in the future, she said. That, in turn, will contribute to the city’s economic recovery by enabling more trade and foreign investment.

A larger airport capable of handling more routes will also aid in ongoing efforts to attract new businesses and company headquarters to Calgary, Moran said.

“Access is a driver of economic development, and I think the more places you can go from a city, the more appealing it is for companies to move here,” she said.

Adam Legge, president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said he expects the new terminal to be a “key ingredient” in helping companies access new markets and make it through the downturn. He also said the Oct. 31 opening will be psychologically important for Calgarians — a morale-boosting reminder that this city is still a significant player in a global economy.

“Things like this are critical, visible reminders that we’re not in any major, significant, city-ending downturn,” Legge said. “These are investments that are built for the long term, and they’re built to succeed in both good times and bad.”

astephenson@postmedia.com

Twitter/AmandaMsteph