NANAIMO – Located just south of the City of Nanaimo, the Nanaimo Airport has for decades developed a reputation for connecting the Central Vancouver Island area to the rest of the world. But according to information released by the Nanaimo Airport Commission, the facility has also become known as a thriving nexus for business.
According to a recent media release, Nanaimo Airport is responsible for more than 1,300 direct and indirect jobs in the area, and that within the next five years, that number is projected to hit over 2,000 jobs.
Currently airport operations provide an economic contribution of almost $100 million to the region. The total includes wages paid by the many businesses that call Nanaimo Airport home, plus the goods and services they purchase, largely from local suppliers. Much like a shopping mall the airport provides the space while its numerous business partners employ their own staff. All of the partner firms bring with them a commitment to serving the needs of all customers of the facility.
The airport’s business partners also have another thing in common: they’ve prospered during the unprecedented growth the airport has experienced in recent years. FedEx and Enex Aviation Services, for example, both expanded their operations in 2014 to keep up with surging demand. Business partners of the facility run the gamut from large organizations – such as Air Canada and WestJet, which fly hundreds of thousands of passengers every year – to small businesses, such as Connections Cafe, which provides food service in the terminal for all passengers.
Businesses directly using the facility of the airport include charter flight operators, couriers and freight shippers, three car rental agencies, ground transportation firms, and a flying school that opened in 1990. But it’s not just businesses that make their home at the airport. The facility is also the base for several community groups that enrich the local region such as the Nanaimo Flying Club, 205 Collishaw Nanaimo Squadron of Air Cadets and the local branch of Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA).
To learn more visit the airport’s website at: www.nanaimoairport.com.