YVR's number of airplane movements dipped 0.4% while the runway weight of aircraft increased 7.5%. Definitely some additional heavies calling with the increase in Chinese airlines this past year.

Plans take off for Edmonton-area aerotropolis


BY MARTY KLINKENBERG, EDMONTON JOURNAL

It sounds like a dance step or something straight from the pages of science fiction, but Leduc planners are hopeful an aerotropolis will help the regional economy reach new heights.

Aviation officials and representatives from the City of Leduc and Leduc County are collaborating on the project, which would see a 214-hectare parcel of land just south of Edmonton International Airport turned into a major development that would include hotels and restaurants, exhibition and conference centres, and manufacturing and distribution firms.

“The idea is to use the airport as an economic lever,” said Myron Keehn, the vice-president of commercial development at Edmonton International Airport. “It is a collaborative approach to drive the economy.”

One of only two airports in Canada identified as an emerging aerotropolis, Edmonton joins Vancouver in trying to duplicate the success of Amsterdam and Frankfurt, which have created successful economic corridors using a similar strategy. A portion of the parcel designated for the project, which has been under review for five years, overlaps with land proposed for annexation by the City of Edmonton.



http://www.edmontonjournal.com/busin...?size=620x400s
(http://www.edmontonjournal.com/busin...?size=620x400s)

It's the migration away from CRJ1/2's and DH8A/C's to DH8D's in a lot of cases without reducing the number of frequencies. Virtually all airports in western canada (particularly) are experiencing a drop in jet traffic but a significant increase in prop traffic. Result of Jazz phasing out RJ's in favor of DH8D's and WS sub'bing more DH8D's in the place of fewer 737 frequencies.

Some shots from YMM
this is only a month old and already the departures level is full. 4 gates. the large Earls is full but at least you can sit and have something relativly decent to eat. thier takeaway offerings are pretty good. only other airside services and a conveniance store with no book. a Starbucks and a JugoJucie.

Sorry for the quality but Iphone photos.

I will get some exterior shots next trip. the old terminal would easily fit into the air side departures lounge.
Ticket and Catsa area.
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1404423291

Baggage Hall
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1404423284
Earls Airside Arrivals
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1404423271
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1404423277
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1404423297

Exterior Cladding is 1/4 4X8 Steel plates.
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1404423305

Quebec City's airport's passenger number up by 7.6% in may following a growth of 10.6% in april.

http://www.aeroportdequebec.com/corp.../statistiques/

Nice YMM pics, airboy. I was wondering what the terminal looked like inside.

I love the stark, stylish design... it reminds me a bit of the old YWG terminal in that respect. I hope they can resist the impulse to clutter it with ads and other ugly junk, which is something that few airport operators seem capable of doing.

Funny you should mention the old YWG air terminal, I thought the same thing

Famoso is spreading like dandelions.

More like a herpes breakout. Sorry everybody, another terrible Edmonton chain is about to invade your city.

:haha: I used to be a big fan of Famoso's pizzas but over the past couple years I've rapidly lost interest. For me, their pizzas are ok but not exactly spectacular. You can get far better pizza next door (from the original on Jasper Ave) at the Rose Bowl.

For Edmonton chains, though, I'd rather go to Earls.

I profess to be a unbiased pizza professional.

And this pizza that spews from their ovens is shit. :)

Wow, surprised at the amount of hate on for Famoso. I love their pizzas, I can barely tolerate "regular" pizza now.

I love it as well. Is that style of pizza really that common?

Famoso has always been a divisive topic on here. I used to champion them, I suppose, as I really enjoyed their pizzas, but I think my tastes have changed. I find their pizzas a bit too bitter for my tastes, though I don't mind having a Famoso pizza once in a while.

Maybe Pearson can climb back into the Top 30 PAX in a few years. Pearson was only the 35th busiest airport in the world last year; far further down the list than one would expect based on the population it serves and the wealth of the region. Even Sydney beats Pearson in passenger traffic despite serving a market that's about 35-45% smaller.

Sounds like somebody is punching below their weight....

It has a lot to do with the Feds treating Canadian airports like their own private instant teller machine rather than engines of economic growth. Canadian PAX numbers are substantially below what one would expect. Only a few of our airports manage to reach PAX numbers that one would expect. Calgary comes to mind.

Consider that Melbourne's airport has more than double the number of passengers as Montreal despite almost identical populations. Montreal technically serves more people as its the principal airport for Quebec, a more populated jurisdiction than Victoria State.

I hate to be so specific (and off topic), but Earls is as much an Edmonton restaurant as the hamburger is a German food. Sure, it started there, but it's been a Vancouver-based restaurant since the early 80s. It's, for better or for worse, the definition of a casual, mid-range Vancouver chain (Cactus Club, Joey's, Ricky's, Milestones, Brown's Social etc.)

Perhaps, but it still fits in well with the culture here. Same with Calgary and Toronto, to be honest, which, surprise surprise, is where all these restaurants are sprouting up. The only market that the Earls/Joey/Cactus Club contingent ignored that I'm surprised with is Ottawa. Maybe it's because they'd have to hire bilingual staff, depending on the location? That's the only reason I can think of because otherwise Ottawa is perfectly suited for these types of restaurants.

Interesting to hear that they've ignored the Ottawa market completely. I wonder if bilingualism is the reason or if their decision was based on poor focus group testing.