BUILDING THE FUTURE AIRPORT
In 2007, EIA served more than six million passengers flying to 53 non-stop destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. To accommodate an estimated nine million passengers by 2012, EIA plans to spend another $1.1 billion on an airport expansion project that will add gates, build a new passenger concourse and expand parking. As well, Concorde Hospitality will soon begin construction on a 200-plus-room hotel that will be connected by a walkway to the north terminal.
Sustained double-digit passenger growth at EIA is driving the need to expand the airport terminal building, parking facilities, and other infrastructure much faster than expected. EIA’s last phased expansion project, 1998 - 2003 Air Terminal Redevelopment Project, including the parkade, South Terminal and Central Hall, was completed for approximately $280 million, giving EIA a 5.5-million passenger capacity. EIA originally expected to reach 5.5 million passengers, the trigger point for expansion, by 2015.
2008 - 2012 Expansion Projects and Timelines
Apron Expansion
Apron is the aircraft parking and loading space on the “airside” of the terminal.
Design: Winter/Spring 2008
Construction: 2009
Terminal Expansion
The expansion will add a net 13 gates to the terminal, boosting the number of gates to 30, from the current 17. It will include expanded food and beverage and retail services themed to offer a comfortable sense of place.
- Detail Design: Spring 2008
- Construction: 2009 - 2012
- Grand Opening: Fall 2012
Office and Control Tower Complex
The new office and control tower complex will include expanded retail and office space, a new NavCan control tower and an integrated baggage room to allow baggage drop-off at any designated locations across the terminal.
- Design: 2008 - 2009
- Construction: 2009 - 2011
Expansion Projects Underway
- Parkade expansion - 1,000 new parkade stalls. Completion date: Summer 2008.
- Upgrading or replacing current systems and better utilizing existing space.
New Technologies
To ensure passengers move through airport as smoothly as possible and to minimize the terminal’s physical, environmental and financial impact, EIA is adopting “future airport” technologies such as common-use, selfserve check-in kiosks and check-in desks useable by any airline, adding flexibility to terminal and optimizing the convenience of the terminal for passengers.
New technologies include:
- Common-use self-serve check-in kiosks allow customers of any airline to access their boarding pass at many points throughout the terminal – enabling them to choose a kiosk with the shortest line, and control their own seat selection.
- Common-use equipment will also allow for passengers to self-tag baggage and check baggage at any location in the terminal.
- Flow-through check-in counters create less congestion than the traditional counter set-up by having guests keep their baggage with them after it is tagged and then place it on a belt themselves. Research shows that flow-through check-in can reduce check-in time by one minute per person compared to traditional linear check-in counters. When you consider a fully-loaded aircraft may hold up to 140 passengers, that’s a lot of time
saved by our customers. - NEXUS technology allows members to avoid line ups and move more quickly through the border clearance process between Canada and the United States.
- Pay & Go parking stations allow customers to save time by pre-paying for parking before leaving the airport terminal.
- Common-use dynamic signage enables messages to be quickly modified and updated, helping passengers to find their way.
All of this is made possible through the partnership of the 65 companies and the 3,600 employees working at EIA (ETeam) who are dedicated to creating positive experiences for our customers, whether they are asking for directions, seeking information on airport services or going through security.