In 2018, the Edmonton International Airport served more travellers than ever before, launched more flights, and expanded commercial, cargo and retail development.

Passenger services

More than 8.2 million travellers passed through the Edmonton International Airport last year: an increase of 5.8 per cent from 2017.

The airport said international travel saw the biggest jump: sun destination travel was up 9.6 per cent and US travel experienced a 9.9 per cent increase. Within Canada, EIA said domestic travel increased by 6.3 per cent over the previous year.

“EIA had a record-setting year serving more travellers than ever before, with particularly strong growth in our non-stop domestic and US destinations,” EIA president and CEO Tom Ruth said.

Air Canada added new non-stop flights to the United States, while WestJet expanded its winter schedule to include more Mexican destinations for travellers escaping the cold. Ultra-low cost airline Swoop released its summer 2019 schedule, with and increase of weekly flights by 40 per cent and adding a seventh aircraft.

In 2018, Flair Airlines announced it was moving its headquarters to Edmonton from Kelowna, and launched several new routes, including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Orlando, Miami and Palm Springs.

Last year, the airport also allowed Uber to pick up and drop off passengers.

In order to accommodate an increase in travellers, EIA put more resources into a dedicated digital unit, which it says collaborates with airlines and local companies to improve technology around the airport.

Some of the innovations have included more paperless travel, with the addition of Canada Border Services Agency automated passport control kiosks and primary inspection kiosks (PIK).

The kiosks allow arriving passengers to fill out their declaration forms from a paperless kiosk or from the convenience of a mobile app, which the airport says has helped streamline the process of getting through customs and reducing wait times.

A drone that looks and flies like a falcon is being used at the Edmonton International Airport to help keep birds away from planes and from nesting in the area.

Also on the technology side, the airport launched drone operations using a Robird robotic falcon, and has begun patrolling the airport’s perimeter using an autonomous ATV.

Commercial development

An increase in travellers is followed closely by an increase in commercial development: everything from new stores, to a giant marijuana facility, to a distillery.

The Premium Outlet Collection mall and Costco Warehouse store both opened to great fanfare.

Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis opened its 800,000-square-foot Aurora Sky pot growing and production facility. Red Cup Distillery, which makes wheat moonshine, also opened at the airport.

The momentum is expected to continue into 2019.

The airport’s second hotel — a five-story, 135-room Fairfield Inn by Marriott hotel at EIA — is set to open in June.

Horseracing Alberta and Century Casinos’ Century Mile race track is also expected to be complete later this year.

On the horizon for late 2019 is the development of Dogtopia, where travellers can find a new dog daycare, boarding and spa for their furry friends.

Cargo services

In addition to more passengers and new commercial developments, more warehouse and cargo space was added to the airport.

EIA became the first airport in Canada to pursue CEIV Pharma Certification for cold-storage products. This will include the opening of a 5,000-square-foot cooler facility, which will be used for perishable cargo such as pharmaceuticals, meat, fruit and produce.

Shell Aviation is building two new, two-million-litre fuel tanks, and Air Canada is constructing a 50,000-square-foot cargo and ground support equipment facility.

A 25,000-square-foot mixed-use logistics centre was build by Runway Developments, designed to be used by customs brokers, logistics companies and freight forwarders. Current tenants include Flying Fresh Air Freight, Farrow and Livingston International.

The airport said it was a strong year for cargo carriers Air Canada, AF/KLM, Canadian North, Cargojet, DHL, FedEx, Icelandair, as well as newcomers Nippon Cargo Airlines, Korean Air Cargo and Atlas Air. DHL and Cargojet also increased their warehouse operations at EIA.

EIA said revenue from airlines attracting new passengers and services was reinvested back into the airport, which it says led to the creation of almost 2,000 jobs in 2018 alone.

The Edmonton International Airport is Canada’s fifth-busiest airport and largest major Canadian airport by land area.

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