Skip to content

Thunder Bay Airport expansion taking off with funding boost

Province investing in expansion of departure lounge and customs clearance hall
T-Bay-airport
The Province is investing $5 million to to help Thunder Bay International Airport expand its departure lounge and security clearance areas, as well as create jobs.

The Ontario Government is giving Thunder Bay International Airport a hand in its plans to expand and improve services at the terminal.

The province is investing $5 million to help the airport expand the departure lounge and customs clearance hall as well as provide more space for travelers. This is being funded through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) Strategic Economic Infrastructure Program.

As well, the funding will help create 13 jobs and will continue to support new opportunities as passenger volumes continue to increase.

Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, and Bill Mauro, Minister of Municipal Affairs and MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan, in Thunder Bay March 2 to make the announcement.

“We thank the province and the NOHFC for investing in the much-needed expansion of our terminal building,” said Ed Schmidtke, president and CEO of Thunder Bay International Airports Authority Inc.

“The Thunder Bay airport is experiencing record volume of passengers and this project will expand our capacity to accommodate more travelers.

“The airport has generated over 200 new jobs between 2008 and 2016. We are confident that this new capacity will greatly assist in extending our growth trend.”

Those increased passenger volumes have also created a parking issue at the airport. In a news release, Schmidtke stated the airport is experienceing a shortage of parking spots due to higher volumes during Spring Break and vacation season. The authority is encouraging people to take cabs or have someone drop them off instead of trying to find parking. It expects volumes to return to normal after the March Break.