NANAIMO – Fresh off another record-setting year, Nanaimo Airport (YCD) opens 2020 reaching even more milestones.
A multi-million-dollar Air Terminal Building expansion has been completed coming in ahead of schedule and under budget. This adds 14,000 square feet for passenger convenience which was needed to meet increased demand. Durwest Construction Management was project manager for the expansion.
Nanaimo Airport expansion rendering
It also provides a larger security area that will be able to serve 1,000 people per hour in the future. Passengers can now move through security screening and the baggage check far faster. Prior to the expansion, fewer than 200 people per hour could move through the line.
Travelers also benefit from BC Transit’s new airport bus service. It connects the airport and the Cassidy community to downtown Nanaimo. Launched in January, the service provides five buses per day from early morning to early evening. Travelers now have even more transportation options to and from the Central Island’s airport of choice.
Some 490,000 people moved through Nanaimo airport gates in 2019. It was the 11th record-breaking year in a row as YCD continues to be one of BC’s fastest growing airports of its size. A seasonal flight to Toronto and additional connecting flights to travel hubs in Vancouver and Calgary helped pushed passenger numbers to the new high.
Nanaimo is now Vancouver Island’s second busiest airport with passenger volume about a decade ahead of forecasts. Airport CEO and President Mike Hooper expects the trend to continue.
“We have a fabulous foundation for growth of passenger service, aerospace development, cargo development and ground side developments,” said Hooper.
Nanaimo Airport provides 2,700 direct and indirect jobs that support Central Island families. They are a major economic driver for the region and generated an estimated $486 million in economic impact in 2019.
www.nanaimoairport.com