YYC Bustling with Growth and Development in 2013

February 12, 2014   |  

Calgary International Airport (YYC) had another record-breaking year for passenger and cargo numbers in 2013. Cargo tonnage grew 2.1 per cent to over 119,000 tonnes, and the number of passengers travelling through YYC increased 4.9 per cent to 14.3 million passengers, making YYC the fastest-growing airport in Canada. This record-breaking growth is reflective of YYC’s extensive route network, cargo connections and industry-leading commercial operations developed by The Calgary Airport Authority.

Air Service Development Highlights

YYC was busy welcoming more air services to its already extensive network throughout 2013. WestJet introduced its new regional service with the entry of Encore in 2013, with the launch of three new routes with service to Brandon, Fort St. John and Nanaimo. WestJet also introduced seasonal direct service to both Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, in addition to increasing capacity on a number of regional and U.S. destinations. As the headquarters for both WestJet mainline and Encore, YYC continues to be WestJet’s largest Canadian hub.  

In 2013, Air Canada also announced plans to significantly increase their service to two European destinations with the introduction of 777’s on flights to both Frankfurt and London for the summer of 2014. Air Canada continued to grow its presence at YYC by significantly enhancing capacity on a number of regional and international destinations. The airline introduced three daily flights from Red Deer to Calgary, connecting central Alberta to YYC’s extensive network and also increased flights from Calgary to Tokyo to daily service, offering the only nonstop service to Asia for Albertans.

KLM also announced increased frequency in their summer/winter schedule on its Calgary to Amsterdam route, and British Airways announced that Calgary would be one of the first airports in Canada to see their new 787 Dreamliner on their YYC-London route.

Land Development Highlights

YYC’s Global Logistics Parks also continued to grow in 2013, adding more warehouse space than any other airport in Canada. The Calgary Airport Authority opened a 125,000 square-foot air cargo building, along with a 538,000 square-foot dedicated cargo apron equipped with in-ground fueling. Other new developments in 2013 included a new 150,000 square-foot hangar and charter terminal for Sunwest Aviation, and an 80,000 square-foot hangar and office development for the North West Group and Air Partners. In addition, construction began on two new 40,000 square-foot hangars for Fixed Base Operator Million Air. In 2013, construction also began on a number of new on-airport facilities including a new hotel and additional industrial and office buildings.  

Airport Development Program Highlights 

The Airport Development Program consists of two major projects and is the largest expansion YYC has ever seen. The new runway and the new international concourse are capacity-driven projects that will ensure YYC is well positioned for projected passenger growth.  A significant amount of work was completed on both projects in 2013.

International Facilities Project: 

The construction of the new international concourse is well underway. As the new concourse takes shape, many areas are now enclosed with windows and walls, and the project teams are working throughout the winter to keep the project schedule moving forward.

Some of the milestones achieved on the new concourse in 2013 were: 

o 588 geothermal wells were completed (an efficient way to help heat and cool the building)
o Baggage system installation commenced 
o Granite floor installation began 
o Crews reached 4 million construction hours on the new concourse

Runway Development Project:

Despite challenging weather conditions in 2013, crews worked hard to ensure the runway project remained on schedule. Runway milestones in 2013 included: 

o Opening of the McCall Way underpass
o Completion of rough grading and deep utilities
o Instrument Landing System installation 
o Opening of the Nav Canada Air Traffic Control Tower 

The ADP will provide much needed airport capacity, vital to our airport partners’ growth and development. YYC continues to be the aviation hub of choice and plays a key role in the economic development of the city, region, and province contributing over $6 billion to the economy.

Other Highlights

YYC continues to be a premier shopping destination for business and leisure travellers. In 2013, Airport Revenue News named YYC one of the Top 50 performing North American airports. YYC was ranked the third best performing airport with each enplaned passenger spending an average of $13.

For the fourth time, The Calgary Airport Authority was recognized as one of Alberta’s Top Employers in 2013. This distinction recognizes employers who are leaders in creating exceptional places to work. 

Additionally, YYC enhanced parking options for travellers with the addition of 4,000 new parking spaces in YYC’s surface lots, increasing available on-site parking to 11,000 stalls. 


About The Calgary Airport Authority

The Calgary Airport Authority is a not-for-profit, non-share capital corporation incorporated under the Alberta Regional Airports Authorities Act. Since 1992, it has been responsible for the management, maintenance and development of Calgary International Airport and Springbank Airport under long-term lease from the Government of Canada.