YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[trofirhen]

Given that we're currently comparing airports (destinations, traffic volumes, aircraft movements, and so forth) one of the best places to go to look up statistics for any given airport is WIKIPEDIA. Just enter the airport name followed by "wikipedia" and a description of the airport, the terminal, number of passengers annually, plus a list of airlines serving the airport with their respective destinations will come up. Very useful.

[Delirium]

here's a fairly recent picture of the domestic terminal expansion


photo by indyinsane on flickr.com

and a nice aerial

photo by WorldWide Murman on flickr.com

[Spork]

Are there any concerns about the ultimate capacity of YVR? Airports always scare me because of their limitless expansion potential, but limited land availability.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by Spork

Are there any concerns about the ultimate capacity of YVR? Airports always scare me because of their limitless expansion potential, but limited land availability.

We could always re-claim land come the year 2250 if that becomes a necessity.

[mr.x]

^ wow, the domestic expansion looks great!

[trofirhen]

It's finally starting to look like a major airport. With an increased (emphasis on European) destination roster, it will finally be the major air hub that people in Vancouver have been longing for - and need.

[LeftCoaster]

Just a clarification that is the internation terminal expansion, not the domestic.

Also, in the second picture the Link II project can be seen under the orange tarp. The project will provide a link behind the security checkpoints between the ITB and DTB, expanded baggage handling facilities and better access to the DTB C pier.

[Gordon]

The above picture is of the C- Pier exapnsion( Air Canada's Area) As far as I know there is no curent International expansion in progress now.

[trofirhen]

Speaking to an official at YVR, I was told that Emirates wants to make Vancouver a destination point. It cannot. Why? Under current government regulations, it can only land at (where else) Toronto, three times a week. In addition Etihad Airlines of Abu Dhabi cand only land (at Toronto, of course) three times a week, giving Toronto 6-days per week service to the Persian Gulf. *
This same YVR official urged me to contact the Minister of Transport, The Hon. John Baird, in Ottawa, to be one of the MANY voices necessary to lift this restriction, and allow Emirates, plus other carriers like Asiana, to fly into Vancouver. * (BTW, Emirates has an "Open Skies" type deal with USA, and may end up at Seattle. If so, we'll be dropped from their wish list due to the proximity)
May I pass the word along, asking members to contact Minister Baird, asking him to lift this restriction? It is rules like these that hamper the growth and the true "gateway" status of Vancouver. *
If you want to add your voice, Minister Baird's email is // [email protected] //
and there is a Transport Canada website where you could post a message to him, asking him to scuttle these restrictive and unprofitable rules, which benefit (you got it) only Toronto (or, more precisely, YYZ.) There, the red carpet is rolled out for airlines. Out here, we have to fight for what we get. So .... let's fight !! We need all the airlines we can get, in particular Emirates, as Dubai is now the "New Hong Kong" of the world. Come on, people! It's time to take on Ottawa! As the YVR official said, "make your voice heard!"

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Speaking to an official at YVR, I was told that Emirates wants to make Vancouver a destination point. It cannot. Why? Under current government regulations, it can only land at (where else) Toronto, three times a week. In addition Etihad Airlines of Abu Dhabi cand only land (at Toronto, of course) three times a week, giving Toronto 6-days per week service to the Persian Gulf. *
This same YVR official urged me to contact the Minister of Transport, The Hon. John Baird, in Ottawa, to be one of the MANY voices necessary to lift this restriction, and allow Emirates, plus other carriers like Asiana, to fly into Vancouver. * (BTW, Emirates has an "Open Skies" type deal with USA, and may end up at Seattle. If so, we'll be dropped from their wish list due to the proximity)
May I pass the word along, asking members to contact Minister Baird, asking him to lift this restriction? It is rules like these that hamper the growth and the true "gateway" status of Vancouver. *
If you want to add your voice, Minister Baird's email is // [email protected] //
and there is a Transport Canada website where you could post a message to him, asking him to scuttle these restrictive and unprofitable rules, which benefit (you got it) only Toronto (or, more precisely, YYZ.) There, the red carpet is rolled out for airlines. Out here, we have to fight for what we get. So .... let's fight !! We need all the airlines we can get, in particular Emirates, as Dubai is now the "New Hong Kong" of the world. Come on, people! It's time to take on Ottawa! As the YVR official said, "make your voice heard!"

What are the reasons for these restrictions?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Vancity

What are the reasons for these restrictions?

When I contacted the official at YVR, and asked him the reasons for these restrictions, he was at a loss to tell me. He only said that he felt angry, frustrated, and generally baffled by what seem to be such a counter-productive and pointless set of restrictions. * * *

However ... in my own view (and this is only an opinion of course) these restrictions are; firstly, the vestiges of the vast set of previous restrictions in place before the Canada - EU "Open Skies" agreement took effect. Remembering that the United Arab Emirates are not part of the European Union, the government can still apply the restrictions here.

Secondly, however, I imagine that they are in place mostly to make sure that Toronto maintains its prominence as the "Gateway to Canada" and the Number One City, even if it is at the expense of the regions, and possibly, as a consequence, the entire country.

It is important to remember that Southern Ontario and Quebec is where most Canadians live, and thus forms the major voting base of the country. In effect, it is an attempt to keep Toronto happy being Number One, by making sure it gets most of the action, and this usually means "adjusting" the regulations to shoulder everyone else out - with the possible exception of Montreal. However this, as I said, is my personal interpretation.

Perhaps if you contacted the Ministry of Transport, the Hon. John Baird could give you the official reason. (That, in fact, might be interesting to hear.)

[eemy]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Speaking to an official at YVR, I was told that Emirates wants to make Vancouver a destination point. It cannot. Why? Under current government regulations, it can only land at (where else) Toronto, three times a week. In addition Etihad Airlines of Abu Dhabi cand only land (at Toronto, of course) three times a week, giving Toronto 6-days per week service to the Persian Gulf. *
This same YVR official urged me to contact the Minister of Transport, The Hon. John Baird, in Ottawa, to be one of the MANY voices necessary to lift this restriction, and allow Emirates, plus other carriers like Asiana, to fly into Vancouver. * (BTW, Emirates has an "Open Skies" type deal with USA, and may end up at Seattle. If so, we'll be dropped from their wish list due to the proximity)
May I pass the word along, asking members to contact Minister Baird, asking him to lift this restriction? It is rules like these that hamper the growth and the true "gateway" status of Vancouver. *
If you want to add your voice, Minister Baird's email is // [email protected] //
and there is a Transport Canada website where you could post a message to him, asking him to scuttle these restrictive and unprofitable rules, which benefit (you got it) only Toronto (or, more precisely, YYZ.) There, the red carpet is rolled out for airlines. Out here, we have to fight for what we get. So .... let's fight !! We need all the airlines we can get, in particular Emirates, as Dubai is now the "New Hong Kong" of the world. Come on, people! It's time to take on Ottawa! As the YVR official said, "make your voice heard!"

If asked, Emirates would say they wanted to make Thunder Bay a destination. As for the reason for the restrictions, they're almost certainly in place to protect Canadian carriers (read AC). There is very little traffic from the UAE to Canada and vice versa. Emirates operates almost exclusively as a hub carrier, especially to the the Indian subcontinent. There is a tonne of capacity from Canada-India/Pakistan already, via half a dozen different carriers.

Frankly, I can understand wanting Emirates to enter a particular market - apparently they have made claims to wanting to serve YYC and YUL as well, besides YVR. The bilateral agreement seems rather protectionist. However, if you really consider what Emirates wants, I believe that YVR is not first on the list. Emirates wants daily rights to Toronto. When the bilateral was first hammered out, no carrier was allowed more than 4x weekly flights to Canada. Emirates sat it out and said it would only serve Toronto if it had daily rights. Etihad went ahead and took the 4x weekly rights, leaving Emirates with 3x weekly, which it later went ahead and took anyway. Emirates wants open skies, not service to YVR, YYC, or YUL. Open skies would allow it to provide service where it wants; however, I guarantee, the first thing EK would do would be to increase YYZ to daily, if not 2x daily. Service elsewhere would be quite far down on the list. With respect to YVR, the desirability would largely depend on the attractiveness of DXB as a connecting point to the subcontinent. I suspect EK would have difficulty competing with Asian carriers in that respect.

[eemy]

Just for the record, the bilateral agreement is available here. You'll note that there is nothing restricting either Etihad or Emirates from flying to YVR.

[mr.x]

Taken by indyinsane at flickr
http://flickr.com/photos/bctransit/page4/


From the last few weeks.

[Hourglass]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Just for the record, the bilateral agreement is available here. You'll note that there is nothing restricting either Etihad or Emirates from flying to YVR.

Nothing except a minor fact that the Government of the United Arab Emirates can only have six (6) flights per week for operation of their own aircraft. That would appear to be Canada-wide capacity.

Now if I'm Etihad or Emirates, I'm allocating those flights to Toronto or maybe Montreal where there is both population base and sizeable ethnic communities. So this bilateral agreement as good as locks out service from UAE to any airport in Western Canada

[trofirhen]

Many thanks to "Mr .x2" for the terrific pictures on this page !! They really add something here, and give a feeling of the airport. They're great !!

(Now all we need are a few more foreign tails in such pictures, like: Air France, Emirates, Qantas (which used to fly here), Iberia ... as well as a few more key year-round destinations like: Dubai, Brisbane, Guadalajara, Madrid, Paris, Munich, Athens ....

....and we'll be a TRUE international gateway airport ! Thanks again "x2," and here's to the future reach of YVR !!

[metroXpress]

Thanks MrX2 and Delirium for those great pics

Nice finding!

[phesto]

It ain't much, but any new service is great news this year...

WestJet announces flight
The StarPhoenixDecember 18, 2008

Starting in May, Saskatoon travellers will be able to fly non-stop to Vancouver courtesy of WestJet.

Daily, seasonal non-stop flights from Saskatoon to the West Coast centre will begin on May 3, the airline announced Wednesday.

Flights from Saskatoon will depart at 5:30 p.m. CST and arrive in Vancouver at 6:41 p.m. PST, while flights departing from Vancouver will leave at 2 p.m. PST and arrive in Saskatoon at 4:46 p.m. CST.

"We're excited to offer a new service that will make it easier than ever for people to travel between the great western cities of Saskatoon and Vancouver," said Bob Cummings, a WestJet vice-president.

The announcement is part of the airline's enhanced summer schedule, the company says.

In November, the John G. Diefenbaker International Airport reported its one millionth passenger of the year.

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Vancity

What are the reasons for these restrictions?

basically to protect Canada's own Airline industry

Canada's airlines must serve Canadian desitinations first - not sure if they could fly direst to Vancouver from dubai but they couldn't say fly dubai - toronto - vancouver - because a Canadian airline can do the toronto - vancouver portion

[ravman]

Speaking of Westjet... is the new luggage ramp for WestJet completed in Domestic bldg... there was something about going underground and ramp and something... its been a while since i was out there and the last time i saw the marking on the floors