“Away to the west lies the Orient and the countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. There lies the key to Canada’s future prosperity – trade with the hundreds of millions of those countries, and Vancouver is the port of entry.”
That was written in 1931, in the commemorative brochure for the opening of what is now known as Vancouver International Airport (YVR). And it is still true today.
Vancouver Airport Authority has long been guided by a vision to be the gateway to the Asia Pacific. Situated on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, its strategic location made YVR the natural gateway to Asia.
For technological and political reasons, planes in 1931 couldn’t fly over the North Pole or Russia. But that has changed, and airports in many other cities such as Seattle, Calgary, Toronto and Chicago all want to be Asia Pacific gateways.
The fast-growing Asian market wants more access to North America. China’s demand for air travel is increasing by 7% annually. YVR needs to do more to remain competitive.
A new daily international flight increases the competitiveness of Canadian businesses.
YVR is connected to about 47% of the world’s economy by daily non-stop scheduled service. This broadens the available market for businesses and gives them access to a wider base of suppliers, business partners and employees.
For example, China Southern’s three-times-a-week passenger service to Guangzhou generates 44 person-years of employment, $2.2 million in wages and contributes $3.5 million to Canada’s GDP annually.
China Southern also began an all-cargo service to Shanghai last summer that generates an additional 40 direct jobs. This service helps expand exports of B.C. seafood, agricultural goods and heavy equipment.
Our goal is to attract new routes and carriers and to remain the gateway of choice for travellers and airlines.
To meet that objective, the airport authority is launching a 10-year strategy, investing $1.8 billion in improvements to keep YVR competitive.
Connection times between international and domestic flights will be decreased with new secure corridors and moving walkways. We will also build new high-speed baggage systems and invest in upgrading the remaining 1968 areas of the domestic terminal.
To help pay for these improvements, we are increasing the Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) to $20 from $15 beginning May 1, 2012, for passengers travelling to destinations outside of B.C. Passengers travelling within B.C. and to the Yukon will continue to pay $5.
This decision was carefully considered. We have raised the AIF only once, in 2004. Airports in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton have already raised their AIFs to $25.
Since 1993, the AIF has helped pay for a new international terminal, new runway, roads and bridges, airfield safety improvements and the Sea Island portion of the Canada Line.
The airport authority is a not-for-profit organization.
It does not receive government funding for capital or operating costs. Every penny of the AIF goes toward building a better airport for British Columbia.
YVR is an economic driver for B.C. The airport employs 23,600 people and in 2010, it contributed $1.9 billion to the Canadian economy.
More than 400 businesses call YVR home. We must continue investing in our airport to keep us competitive and give British Columbians the connectivity they want and need. •
