Terrace residents will have another airline to fly them directly to Calgary starting this summer.
Westjet announced it will be adding a new non-stop daily flight May 3 from Calgary to Terrace through its regional airline Westjet Encore.
For this flight, Westjet will use the Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft, which is the same plane it is using right now to fly in and out of the airport, said Northwest Regional Airport manager Carman Hendry.
Late last year, Air Canada announced it would be flying nonstop between Terrace and Calgary, starting in June.
Both airlines had certain times they requested for arrivals and departures and both were able to get their first request, said Hendry.
“Everything fit in perfectly for these routes and I think it’s pretty good timing,” he said, referring to the passenger numbers that pick up in the summertime.
No airport or runway renovations or additions have to be made to accommodate Westjet’s new flight but there are plans for renovations and expansion of the terminal scheduled to start next year, said Hendry.
The holding area, where people wait before their plane leaves, will be increased by about three times its current size; there will be three gates; the check-in counters will be relocated and the area to lineup will be made bigger to relieve congestion, said Hendry.
When people check in, they will also check their baggage, whiche will go throuh security at that time and they’re done with it, he added.
There will be a separate area for people to go through security before boarding the plane.
If a vendor can be found, a food kiosk will be added to the waiting area past security, said Hendry.
The project will go to tender next spring and it’s hoped that construction can start in the summer, he added.
Construction will mean adding about 30 per cent more space to the terminal and making changes to about 80 per cent of what is there now, said Hendry.
