Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
nativename = Winnipeg International Airport


image-width = 100
IATA = YWG
ICAO = CYWG
type = Public
owner = Transport Canada [http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/Airports/Status/menu.htm Airport Divestiture Status Report] ]
operator = Winnipeg Airports Authority
city-served = Winnipeg, Manitoba
elevation-f = 738
elevation-m = 239
coordinates = Coord|49|54|36|N|097|14|04|W|type:airport|display=inline
website = [http://www.waa.ca www.waa.ca]
r1-number = 13/31
r1-length-f = 8,700
r1-length-m = 2,652
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number = 18/36
r2-length-f = 11,000
r2-length-m = 3,353
r2-surface = Asphalt
stat-year = 2007
stat1-header = Aircraft Movements
stat1-data = 151,065
stat2-header = Number of Passengers
stat2-data = 3,565,501
footnotes = Sources: Canada Flight SupplementCFS]
Statistics from Transport Canada. [http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/EN/Report/TP577/pdf/TP577_07.pdf - Aircraft Movement Statistics: NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations: Annual Report 2007] ]
Passenger statistics from Winnipeg Airports Authority [http://www.waa.ca/?pid=184 Winnipeg Airports Authority Statistics] ]

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Airport codes|YWG|CYWG is an airport in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. In 2007 it was the seventh busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, serving just over 3.5 million passengers, and the 11^th busiest airport by aircraft movements. It is also an Air Canada Jazz and WestJet focus city.

Location

The airport is located at the western end of Wellington Avenue in Winnipeg, near the "aerospace hub" made up of Standard Aero, Magellan Aerospace, Boeing Winnipeg and Air Canada Technical Services.

History

The airport opened in 1928 as Stevenson Aerodrome in honour of the noted Manitoba aviator and pioneer bush pilot, Captain Fred J. Stevenson. Stevenson Aerodrome (Stevenson Field) was Canada's first international airport. In 1958, at the request of the Canadian Department of Transport, Stevenson Field was officially renamed the Winnipeg International Airport.

The existing terminal building was built in 1964, and was designed by the architectural firm of Green Blankstein Russell and Associates (subsequently GBR Associates and Stantec Limited). It was expanded and renovated in 1984 by the architectural firm of IKOY, and a hotel was built opposite the terminal building in 1998. The terminal building is an example of modernist International Style architecture.

On 10 December 2006, the Minister of Transport Lawrence Cannon announced Winnipeg International Airport was to be renamed Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in honour of James Armstrong Richardson, Sr. [Winnipeg Airport Authorities, Press release: " [http://www.waa.ca/?pid=25&newsid=0065 Canada's New Government Renames Winnipeg International Airport in Honour of James Armstrong Richardson.] " Retrieved: 14 December 2006.]

Airport redevelopment

A major project involving the construction of a new terminal is underway. The terminal was designed by the world famous architect César Pelli. The new terminal, to be located northeast of the existing terminal, is being constructed in two phases with the first phase complete by 2010. Construction on the new terminal began in the early spring of 2007. The Winnipeg Airports Authority hopes to attract better services using widebody aircraft including the Boeing 747 with the completion of the new terminal. It should also attract the A380, A340, Boeing 777, and 787. The current terminal will become the new home of the Western Canada Aviation Museum.

Along with the new terminal, a new access road was built and opened in October 2006, and a new four-level, 1,559 stall parkade has been opened as of November 2006. Due to changes in airport priorities, the Winnipeg Airports Authority has closed the third runway (07/25), which had a length of 4,600 ft (1,402 m).

There are now plans for a new luxury airport hotel across from the new terminal as well as office building between the current hotel and new parkade. Future airport plans include siting the new bus terminal in the airport complex. [ [http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=120863&page=23 SkyscraperPage Forum] ] The new Canada Post plant will also be built at the airport site. [ [http://www.waa.ca/?pid=25&newsid=0096 Canada Post announces new state-of-the-art plant to be built at the airport] ]

Winnipeg is also trying to become the Inland Port of Canada and will be using the airport as its advantage to try become the port. They are going to call it Centre Port Airport Campus when everything is completed and when they won the port.

Airlines and destinations

Current airlines including Bearskin Airlines, Calm Air International and First Air fly out of the main terminal, other airlines serving northern communities fly out of the Perimeter Airlines terminal located across from the Western Canada Aviation Museum, at the Flightcraft Terminal or at the general/commercial aviation terminals located on the west side of the airport complex.

Current airlines

* Air Canada (Cancún [seasonal] , Calgary, Montego Bay [seasonal] , Montreal, Ottawa, Punta Cana [seasonal] , Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)
** Air Canada Jazz (Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Toronto-Pearson)
* Air Transat (Cancun, Manzanillo (Begins December 9th, 2008 - seasonal), Montego Bay, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Varadero) [seasonal]
** Air Transat operated by Westjet (Bahias de Huatulco, Los Cabos) [seasonal]
* Air West Aviation
* Bearskin Airlines (Flin Flon, Fort Frances, Dryden, Kenora, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, The Pas, Thunder Bay)
* Calm Air (Arviat, Baker Lake, Churchill, Flin Flon, Gillam, Rankin Inlet, The Pas, Thompson, Whale Cove, Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour, Repulse Bay)
* Execaire
* Fast Air
* Keystone Air Service (Dauphin, Swan River)
* Kivalliq Air (Chesterfield Inlet, Churchill, Coral Harbour, Rankin Inlet, Repulse Bay, Whale Cove)
* Northway Aviation
* Northwest Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
** Northwest Airlink operated by Pinnacle Airlines (Detroit [seasonal] , Minneapolis/St. Paul)
* Perimeter Airlines (Berens River, Brandon, Cross Lake, Dauphin, God's Lake Narrows, God's River, Island Lake, Norway House, Oxford House, Red Sucker Lake, Shamattawa, South Indian Lake, St. Theresa Pt., Brochet, Lac Brochet, Tadoule Lake, Thompson, York Landing)
* SkyNorth (various northern locations on charter and "sched" routes)
* Skyservice (Bahias de Huatulco, Cancun, Holguin, Mazatlan, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Varadero) [seasonal]
* Sunwing Airlines (Cancún, Cayo Santa Maria, Cozumel, Holguin, Punta Cana, Toronto-Pearson, Varadero) [seasonal]
* United Airlines
** United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines (Chicago O'Hare, Denver)
* Wapun Air (St. Therese Point)
* WestJet (Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Las Vegas, London (ON), Montréal, Ottawa, Phoenix [seasonal] , Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)

Cargo airlines

* Air Canada Cargo
* Bearskin Airlines
* Calm Air Cargo
* Cargojet
* FedEx Express (operated by Morningstar Air Express)
* First Air
* First Nations Transportation (Cargo)
* Northwest Airlines Cargo
* Perimeter Aviation
* Purolator
* UPS
* Volga-Dnepr Airlines
* WestJet Cargo

Former airlines

* American Airlines
* America West Airlines
* Canada 3000
* Canadian Airlines
* Delta Airlines
** Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines
* First Nations Transportation (Charter)
* Frontier Airlines
* Greyhound Air
* JetsGo
* Kistigan Air (Garden Hill)
* NAC Air
* Royal Airlines
* Skyward Airlines
* Wardair
* Zip
* Transair (Canada)

Ground transport

Winnipeg Transit runs bus #15 which serves the airport.

Incidents and accidents

In 2006-2007, 16 flights were diverted to the airport due to emergencies en route. [CTV News Report 16 October 2007]

*On 23 July 1983 Air Canada Flight 143 a Boeing 767 trying to reach Winnipeg as an alternate, was forced to make an emergency landing in Gimli, Manitoba after running out of fuel. No one was injured. This incident was the subject of the TV movie, "", starring William Devane and the book, "Freefall", by William Hoffer.
*On 3 March 2007 British Airways Flight BA289, a Boeing 747 flying from London Heathrow Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, made an unscheduled landing at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after a passenger became unruly when he was refused alcohol. The passenger was charged with mischief, causing a disturbance and failing to comply with instructions from the flight crew. The aircraft sat on the tarmac for two hours before resuming its trip to Phoenix. [ [http://winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2007/03/05/3698168-sun.html Winnipeg Sun article] ]
*On 19 June 2007, a Northwest Airlines Boeing 747 cargo plane en route from Wilmington, Ohio to Anchorage, Alaska made an emergency landing at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after reporting a fire inside the airplane. No one was injured. After cleanup, an unrelated engine problem saw the 747 leave Winnipeg on three engines, a week later. [ [http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/local/story/3991363p-4606808c.html Warning signal forces cargo plane to land] (The Winnipeg Free Press Online Edition: 19 June 2007)]
*On 1 August 2007, British Midland Flight BD752 flying from Las Vegas to Manchester, England was diverted to Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after a 19-year old male passenger failed to comply with crew instructions. The passenger was charged with mischief, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, and failing to comply with the flight crew's instructions under the Air Navigation Order. The Airbus A330 resumed flight two hours after being diverted. [ [http://www.carsurvey.org/air/review_13602.html Midland Flight] ]
* On 18 April 2008, a WestJet Boeing 737-700 aircraft en route from Hamilton to Calgary carrying 106 people including crew had to make an emergency landing at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport because of a potential hydraulic issue. The airliner landed without incident and no one was injured as a result.

Importance

Winnipeg is also Canada's third largest airport by cargo tonnage, with approximately 150,000 metric tonnes of air cargo moving through the airport in 2005. Two of Canada's largest air cargo companies use Winnipeg as a major domestic hub: Purolator and Cargojet. (Smaller cargo, courier and charter operations from Calm Air International, FedEx Express, Perimeter Aviation, NAC Air and UPS also fly out of YWG.) It is one of five airports in Canada designated under the federal government's International Cargo Transshipment Program, one of eight Canadian airports that has US Border Pre-clearance facilities and one of 26 airports that make up Canada's National Airports System. The current terminal is over its maxium capacity of 600,000.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* "Canada's Airports: Reinvention & Success". Ottawa: Insight Media commissioned by the Canadian Airports Council (CAC), 2005.

External links

* [http://www.waa.ca Winnipeg International Airport]