Deadmonton? No way!
A Canadian airport after an eventful (freight) year. Edmonton, the ‘Oil Capital of Canada, has some less flattering nicknames too. In any case, as far as the city airport’s cargo activities are concerned, the past year was far from dead. Foundations for further growth were put in place.
The new year ushered in a change in leadership at Edmonton airport (YEG), with Tom Ruth retiring after nine years as president and CEO and his successor Myron Keehn taking office.
Keehn knows the airport well, having already worked there for 15 years, last as vice-president for air services; business development; environmental, social and governance matters; and stakeholders relations. He was prominently involved in the gateway’s Tiaca-award-winning cargo offensive (see page 15 of ITJ 47-48/2022).
Last year Canada’s largest airport by area (28.3 km2) handled 52,000 t of freight, or 7.2% more than in 2021. The figure was almost twice as high as in the years before the outbreak of Covid-19. YEG plans to keep this growth rate up, and to this end announced the development of an international cargo hub in July 2022, in partnership with the Canadian government.
The 20 km2 logistics industry project is expected to become one of the greenest logistics facilities in North America, serve as a major trade corridor for Canada and position the provincial and national economies in global supply chains, thanks to its e-commerce elements.
Freighters and drones
The 47,000 m2 expansion of the freighter apron was completed at the end of September. The project, which creates space for six wide-body freighters, was launched in 2021, and half of its cost (the CAD equivalent of USD 26 million) was borne by the Canadian federal government.
The Edmonton gateway doesn’t neglect its smaller cargo carriers either. As the country’s first airport to integrate drone logistics activities into its operations, it has hosted more than 300 commercial drone flights since May last year.