YVR Construction Update
If you've visited YVR recently, you may have noticed how construction projects in and around the airport are flying along.
With a growing number of passengers and changes within the airline industry, we are continuing to expand and adapt to meet the needs of the industry and our customers.
International Terminal Expansion
The largest construction project underway at YVR is a $420-million, nine-gate expansion to the International Terminal. Phase one of the expansion, four gates, is nearly complete and scheduled to open in March. Crews have recently installed lighting, carpet, gate counters and art murals in each of the four new gates. Building upon YVR's distinctive design tradition, the new wing will celebrate the spectacular nature of the Pacific West Coast with a large aquarium showcasing indigenous marine life, a jellyfish tank, and a stream running through the centre of the building. Passenger forecasts indicate that the additional five gates will be required between 2011 and 2014.
Link Building
So named because it will link the International and Domestic terminals, the $117-million Link Building will provide increased international check-in capacity, passenger screening, additional baggage systems and office space. This five-story building will be connected to the Canada Line station via a covered walkway, and will serve as a central hub for passengers traveling through YVR.
Construction crews are currently focusing on the completion of the Link Concourse, including the check-in area, baggage conveyors and the transfer corridor and pre-board screening areas on Level 4. Completion of the Link Building is scheduled for summer 2007.
Canada Line
In keeping with our goal of being a sustainable and environmentally conscious organization, the Airport Authority has committed up to $300-million to fund the airport portion of the Canada Line rapid transit line, which will link downtown Vancouver, Richmond City Centre and Vancouver International Airport.
Now that the last section of the Canada Line guideway adjacent to the International Terminal has been completed, work on the YVR Canada Line station has begun. Crews are preparing the site, piling, constructing columns and building two new elevators.
Meanwhile, bridge construction continues on the Middle Arm of the Fraser River. This involves mobilizing equipment and materials, concrete and steel work, piling, pier and guideway construction and assembly of the bridge deck segments using cranes. Crews are also busy lifting and locking segments of the elevated walkway into place on Sea Island. Track installation work on the elevated guideway also begins this month. Later this year, the guideway will "walk" across the completed Middle Arm bridge to complete the last few sections near the Arthur Laing Bridge.
Parking at YVR will not be impacted by the construction process. Passengers and visitors may notice some minor changes to traffic patterns near the terminals, but every effort is being made to minimize disruption. For more information on the Canada Line, please visit
www.canadaline.ca.
Air Carriers Cleared for Savings at YVR
YVR now has the lowest international landing fees among all major Canadian airports.
The Airport Authority has lowered landing fees for international flights into YVR. The new rates bring international fees in line with domestic fees, which will remain the same.
Not only will these substantial cost savings be passed along to airlines, but reduced fees may also encourage more international carriers to fly into YVR in the near future, offering customers more options for air travel.
Operators of larger and heavier aircraft in particular will see significant cost savings as a result of these reduced fees. For example, cargo operators using Boeing 747 freighters on international routes will pay 32% less in landing fees in 2007 than they paid in 2006. Airlines operating passenger flights from the U.S. using Boeing 747, Boeing 777 and Airbus 320 aircraft will see year-over-year cost savings of 10%, 9% and 6%, respectively.
The Airport Authority's decision to reduce international landing fees addresses conditions of Open Skies agreements, such as the one between Canada and the United States, that require airports to equalize domestic and international landing fees.
In consideration of YVR's airline customers, its growing reputation as an international gateway and the positive impact of the airport on our region's economy, the Airport Authority made a decision to reduce international fees rather than increase domestic fees.
President's Perspective
POISED FOR GROWTH - YVR'S LOW-COST, HIGH-VALUE PROPOSITION
The Airport Authority was pleased to kick off 2007 with the announcement of lower international landing fees for our airline partners. We now offer the lowest international landing fees of all major airports in Canada.
Equalizing landing fees for domestic and international flights, both cargo and passenger, was one of the stipulations of Canada's Open Skies agreements with the United States and the United Kingdom, but we had the option of raising our domestic landing fees in order to achieve this balance.
Why did we decide to lower our international rates instead? Because being a low-cost airport is central to our operating philosophy and our strategic goal to become the premier gateway to the Asia Pacific. Passing along substantial cost savings to our airline customers encourages more international carriers to use YVR, which provides more options for passengers, as well as economic benefits for our communities.
Lowering our fees is just the latest initiative in our ongoing efforts to grow our international gateway. Of course, some barriers to an expanded gateway are beyond our control, and they represent significant challenges for the aviation industry. A recent national opinion poll conducted by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada for the Globe and Mail found that 58% of Canadians agreed with the statement: "Looking 20 years ahead, trade with Asia will be more important to Canada than trade with the U.S."
Yet, while Canadians on the whole seem ready to seek deeper economic and political ties with Asia, our market share in Asia continues to fall. The Asia Pacific Foundation has said that the biggest weakness in our ties with Asia is our chronic underinvestment in the hard and soft infrastructure that connects us to Asia.
There is great potential for an airport like YVR, which is strategically located on the great circle routes and the closest major West Coast airport to Asia. With the biggest expansion project in the airport's history well underway, we are ensuring we will have the gate and terminal capacity to meet future demand and seize the opportunities available to us through increased trade and tourism with Asia.
Our biggest single constraining factor is restrictive regulation: we need smarter borders and government policies that support the success of airports and airlines, and air policy that fosters competition and openness on a global scale. We are on the right track with the announcement of the federal government's Blue Sky initiative, but still lack the Approved Destination Status agreement with the People's Republic of China, necessary to grow this major tourism market.
As an airport, we will continue to work to maintain a low-cost, high-value facility. As a partner in the transportation industry, we will continue to advocate for changes to Canada's regulatory framework that will allow us to build on our gateway advantage and pass on the benefits to our business partners and communities.
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