Thunder Bay International Airport hopes to build out it's aviation-related slate of businesses with a new land-use design study.
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund dipped into its Infrastructure and Community Development Program to give $75,000 to the airport authority to pay for an architectural and engineering firm to find the best use of its available airside properties.
Airport authority CEO Scott McFadden said it's a detailed design process to determine the costs of developing a small number of remaining lots on the airport's south side that meet the needs of local aviation-related business.
That part of the airport is already home to a new mineral assay lab, Activation Labs, and an expanding helicopter charter company, Wisk Air.
“We've got several companies talking about expansion for a couple of years,” said McFadden. “There is a general shortage of hangar space on the field.”
The business climate has obviously changed and companies are more cautious, said McFadden, but the study will produce some accurate numbers on the costs of design work and construction for hangars or multi-purpose buildings.
“We're certainly hopeful that one of our partners will go ahead with some form of construction this year.”
The whole airport is designated as a Community Improvement Zone which includes 81 acres on the north side bordering Arthur Street. It's zoned highway-commercial and light-industrial and the airport authority has eyes on expansion there to accommodate larger installations.
McFadden said his authority has had dialogue with more than 100 Canadian, American and European aerospace-related companies within the last 10 years about relocating to Thunder Bay.
A big project on their wish list is their application is for government assistance under the Building Canada Fund to extend their 6,200-foot runway by 1,300 feet (405 metres) at a price tag of $16.7 million to be shared equally by the feds, province and airport authority.
McFadden said new Transport Canada regulations have increased the average weight of a airlline passenger. That translates to aircraft needing greater takeoff and landing distances, especially in extreme weather conditions. Because of a “heightened awareness for margins of error” airlines are giving their air crews more discretion on take off and landing decisions.
