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Airport expansion taxiing for takeoff?

Pemberton residents weigh in on airport development; W-B ready to offer seed money
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Flight Plan Rob Benyon spells out the three options for the Pemberton Airport at a meeting on Monday.

The future of the Pemberton Airport will be determined by the people of Pemberton, but Whistler-Blackcomb would be willing to put up some seed money if that future included expansion to allow for 70-passenger commercial jet service.

Stuart Rempel, vice president of sales and marketing for Whistler-Blackcomb, said the company is prepared to invest “seven figures” if airport expansion goes ahead and a commercial airline starts servicing Pemberton.

The Pemberton Regional Airport Authority held an open house Monday to gather public input and help the board determine a course of action.

The open house included a presentation by InterVISTAS, a company hired to study the technical and marketing potential of the airport. InterVISTAS’ Rob Benyon presented three scenarios for consideration:

• leave the airport as it is with 3,900 foot runway, which would leave it too small for commercial flights but would still allow for helicopter and other aviation services;

• expand the airport to allow for commercial flights using planes that carry 20-70 passengers;

• expand the runway to more than 6,000 feet to allow for large commercial jets.

Benyon said in his opinion the second scenario was most feasible.

Several Pemberton residents raised concerns about noise and pollution from commercial flights, as well as basic services like water, sewer and electricity that are not yet available at the airport.

Beynon said newer commercial aircraft use quieter technology and aren’t as noisy as trains that run through the area. He also said that commercial airlines are more responsive to neighbours’ concerns than are private pilots.

Beynon also acknowledged that the “unique topography” of the area — the airport’s proximity to the mountains, winter fog, wind and weather conditions — also posed challenges to commercial service.

David MacKenzie, president of the Pemberton Regional Airport Authority, said concerns voiced at the Monday’s meeting will be taken into consideration at PRAAs next meeting.

“Those comments will kind of be put together in a report, presented back to the board, and then we’ve got to kind of decide if we have enough public comment to move forward,” said MacKenzie.

But overall, MacKenzie believes response has been “quite positive.”

“I think people are starting to come to the realization that we’re not ramping up the airport to handle 737s, and that’s not what this is about.”

Beynon was unable to answer many technical questions raised by community members, and could only give a rough estimate of what an expansion would cost.

With a new apron and runway, he suggested they could expect to invest $15 million. He believes the community would receive provincial and federal funding to cover a significant portion of the capital costs expansion would require, and with the Olympics coming soon the time is right to ask for money.

Beynon also pointed out that a detailed engineering plan has to be completed first, but before the community invests in having one carried out people need to decide if they are interested in expanding the airport.

Rempel agreed with Beynon on this point. He pointed out that the Pemberton Airport is even listed in the provincial government’s 33-step tourism plan, suggesting they are willing to assist in expansion of the facility.

Rempel said the Pemberton airport is a community asset that he been underutilized. He believes if it were used for commercial purposes, Pemberton’s local economy would benefit.

According to Beynon, regular scheduled commercial flights could create 50 jobs and many spin-offs in the Pemberton area.

“The tourism benefits would be enormous,” said Beynon.

But Rempel said it’s also a matter of how many people arrive on those flights. He said 20-passenger planes simply aren’t big enough — the flights have to bring more passengers to the area to make the expansion commercially viable.

He suggested a plane like the new Q400 by Bombardier, that holds 70 passengers, is what is needed.

Rempel pointed out that most major destination resorts offer air service, and in recent ski magazine rankings, “access” has always been Whistler-Blackcomb’s Achilles heel.

“We’re thrilled that we’ve got such a great resort experience here that people fly from all over the world to come here,” said Rempel. “We’d like to help make it easier for them to come here.”

If the community decides to move forward with expansion plans, Rempel said they would have the financial backing of Whistler-Blackcomb. The company is prepared to invest “seven figures” in seed money and would help market air service to the area by selling vacation packages that included flights.

Beynon said air carriers would need to know that a community is interested and committed to the project before they will invest in conducting aviation analyses.

But Rempel pointed out that Alaska Airlines already met with council in the past and expressed interest in commercial flights to Pemberton.

Barrett Fisher, president of Tourism Whistler, said Monday’s meeting was a great “first step” in helping understand how citizens feel about the airport’s future.

This isn’t the first time Whistler has explored regional aviation options.

“We have done some research on the viability of an airport in the region, and the feedback that we received when we did some research in the Seattle market was that 30 per cent of people that were researched said that they wouldn’t come unless there was an airport,” said Fisher.

But Fisher said it’s ultimately up to citizens of Pemberton to decide what the future of the airport will be.

“We are very sensitive to the needs of the Pemberton community and want to ensure that whatever occurs here is what the community wants,” said Fisher.

No decisions were made at Monday’s meeting, and the airport authority is planning further consultation with local community members.