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Abbotsford
Airport Means Business
by
Jerry W. Bird
Georgia
Strait Just Got Narrower
New Abbotsford- Nanaimo Connection
Crossing time is now just 25 minutes and this has
nothing to do with Fast Ferries. On September 3rd
Canadian Western Airlines launches its service to
Abbotsford from Nanaimo. Nanaimo Mayor Gary Korpan
and Wayne Anderson of the Nanaimo Chamber of
Commerce will fly to Abbotsford on Canadian Western
Airlines inaugural flight to meet Abbotsford Mayor
George Ferguson.
Patrick
Fowler of Canadian Western Airlines says, "The
event signals the two communities growing
together." He says, "The step to include Abbotsford
into the schedule is a natural one for the company.
Early on, people started asking for a connection
into the heart of the Fraser Valley." "It is now
faster for many people in the Lower Mainland to
drive to Abbotsford than to battle traffic to
Vancouver International," he says.
Fowler
says, "There are a lot of great recreational
activities on the Island, and Canadian Western
Airlines now offers a way for people to access the
island playground."
Canadian
Western Airlines is independently and locally owned
company, striving to meet the needs of the
traveling public. Canadian Western Airlines
continues to grow, adding more planes and new
routes.
Contact::
Mr. Patrick Fowler
Canadian Western Airlines
Office 604-233-9292
Cell 604-418-5511
Mr. Cuyler Green
Acting Airport Manager
Nanaimo Airport
Office 250-245-2160
Mr. Curtis Grad
Abbotsford Airport Manager
Office: 604-855-1001
WestJet
and Canada 3000 led the way; now Air Canada and its
regional carriers have added three flights-a-day
service between Calgary and Abbottsford.
Canada's
National Airport Policy coupled with an historic
Open Sk.ies
Air Agreement, laid the groundwork for a total
revolution in general aviation and passenger
travel. It came with a sudden fury, and one of the
prime beneficiaries was Abbotsford Airport ,which
in 1997 began a major transformation. The City of
Abbotsford, represented by Mayor George Ferguson,
and the Abbotsford Airport Authority, now directed
by Herman
Driediger,
pledged to fully develop the airport's potential.
Driediger's
optimism is justified by the airport's history and
location in the heart of a large, growing
population centre, with the Trans Canada Highway
bringing visitors, new business and development to
the airport's very doorstep.
Having
earned world recognition for the Abbotsford
International Airshow and Aerospace North America,
the stage was set. As Herman Driediger expected,
virtually overnight, Abbotsford Airport was on its
way to becoming a successful, passenger gateway,
with a brand new air terminal completed in record
time -- and on budget.
He
had little doubt that this cause and effect
situation would also be a magnet for general
aviation and light industry. In addition to
increased action on the airport property, such as
the Conair Group's multi-million dollar complex,
all one needs to do is drive down Mt. Lehman Road
and spot the warehouses and commercial development
springing up like wildflowers on the airport's
perimeter. At the Trans Canada Highway's Mt. Lehman
exit, are some further signs of important moves
afoot, affected by the airport's strategic
position. Much of that action has happened in three
short years.
Speak
of positioning -- a glance at any map of the 100
mile stretch from Vancouver to Hope reveals that
over 700,000 Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley
residents are within the airport's marketing area,
According to recent studies, that figure represents
the number of persons who live closer to Abbotsford
Airport than its biggest competitor, Vancouver
International Airport. Just drive east from
Vancouver any time and you'll see what we mean --
wall to wall cars. Small wonder, so many inbound
and outbound passengers love our new terminal with
its convenient parking and laid back
atmosphere.
WestJet
Airlines' scheduled Boeing 737 service started the
ball rolling three years ago; now that company's
daily flights have been increased and its links
extend far beyond the original Abbotsford-Calgary-
Edmonton triangle. You can connect via Alberta to
Grand Prairie, Prince George, Regina, Saskatoon,
Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Hamilton and before
long- to Montreal. With Canada 3000 Airlines
providing direct weekly service to Toronto's
Pearson International Airport, since June,
Abbotsford Airport's passenger figures for the year
should top the 200,000 mark. What's next -- the
Okanagan, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas?
Across the broad tarmac of Abbotsford Aiport, the
Conair Group's new $50 million aircraft maintenance
facility looks ready to go, and is scheduled to
open in October. According to Conair Group,
business volume is expected to double and
employment to triple by 2004.For over 60 years,
since World War II, Abbotsford Airport has been a
key economic engine in the Fraser Valley. It has
generated significant revenues and created
employment throughout the region.
Recently,
Herman Driediger and the Abbotsford Airport
Authority initiated an Economic
Impact Study to
measure the impact of the airport on British
Columbia.
WestJet
Airlines' scheduled Boeing 737 service started the
ball rolling three years ago; now that company's
daily flights have been increased and its links
extend far beyond the original Abbotsford-Calgary-
Edmonton triangle. You can connect via Alberta to
Grand Prairie, Prince George, Regina, Saskatoon,
Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Hamilton and before
long- to Montreal. With Canada 3000 Airlines
providing direct weekly service to Toronto's
Pearson International Airport, since June,
Abbotsford Airport's passenger figures for the year
should top the 200,000 mark. What's next -- the
Okanagan, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas?
Across the broad tarmac of Abbotsford Aiport, the
Conair Group's new $50 million aircraft maintenance
facility looks ready to go, and is scheduled to
open in October. According to Conair Group,
business volume is expected to double and
employment to triple by 2004.For over 60 years,
since World War II, Abbotsford Airport has been a
key economic engine in the Fraser Valley. It has
generated significant revenues and created
employment throughout the region.
Recently,
Herman Driediger and the Abbotsford Airport
Authority initiated an Economic
Impact Study to
measure the impact of the airport on British
Columbia.
Pilot's
Choice. Fuel for the Cause
We
met Gerry Visser on a typically warm, sunny
Saturday afternoon at the Abbotsford Airport in a
vacant lot next to the Touch n'Go Restaurant. With
hammer in hand and an air of confidence, he was
busily erecting the skeleton of a new facility that
will serve a vital need at the airport for now and
years to come. Gerry's catchy name for the
operation is "Pilot's Choice, " a 24 hour Prepaid
Discount Card Lock facility that will serve local
volume users. For those interested, a debit card
service is expected soon. As a pilot and owner of
two Piper aircraft, which he has flown from here to
Alaska, Mexico, Cuba and the Caribbean, Gerry
Visser knows how important 24 hour fuel access is
to his fellow pilots and owners.The facility will
have two 50,000 litre tanks, with state-of-the -art
filtration and an environmentally approved
containment (spill) system, safety being a major
factor.
(more to come)
Outbound
travel at BC Scene is the domain of
Muguette
Goufrani ,who
has spent a lifetime traveling and working around
the world, most of that time as a travel agent and
airline employee.
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