Share the Facts campaign offers information on the City Centre Airport lands

Share the Facts campaign offers information on the City Centre Airport lands

September 16, 2010 (Edmonton, Alta.) – Today Edmonton Airports is launching Share the Facts to offer Edmontonians access to information about the City Centre Airport lands.  

“We recognize the redevelopment of the City Centre Airport lands is a challenging issue,” says Reg Milley, Edmonton Airports President and CEO. “We want to respond to concerns  we’ve heard raised to ensure that Edmontonians can access the facts as they discuss the redevelopment.”

The Share the Facts campaign aims to provide information in four key areas.

Safe Air Ambulance will continue

• Planning has been undertaken to protect the continued patient safety of the 7 per cent of time-critical transfers.
• New facility planning that brings together ground, airplane and helicopter ambulance operations is already underway at EIA.
• Direct rotary wing transfers for the small number of time-critical patients can expedite transfer time.

In the 2009-10 fiscal year, Alberta Health Services reported 3,020 Alberta air ambulance flights to City Centre. Planning is underway to protect the safety of the 7 per cent of transfers that are time critical. Most of the time-critical cases handled by City Centre are transported to south-side city hospitals such as the University of Alberta Hospital, which is an eight-minute difference from EIA compared to City Centre via ground ambulance.

The planning underway includes options such as transporting the small percentage of time-critical cases, particularly those going to hospitals in the city’s central/north side, by helicopter
directly to the hospital or transporting directly via ground ambulance to the closest hospital, eliminating extra travel time.

Consolidation has grown your non-stops from 15 to 50 cities

Edmonton International Airport offers the best air service in the region’s history, with more than 50 national and international non-stop destinations.

“This is more than three times the number of non-stops Edmonton had before the public vote in 1995 to move all scheduled air service to EIA,” says Milley.  “If you look across North
America, cities our size do not split their scheduled services between two airports because it just doesn’t make economic sense.”

“Consolidation works.”

Remaining aviation services will be handled at EIA and Villeneuve

To ensure a smooth transition, Edmonton Airports has invested $23 million in EIA and Villeneuve Airports to welcome remaining private, corporate and flight training services from City Centre Airport.

“EIA and Villeneuve have ample room to grow and meet all of the aviation demands of our growing region,” says Milley.

EIA is Edmonton’s gateway to the North

With 11 destinations, EIA’s service to the North is unmatched by any other Canadian airport.

“Many people don’t realize that 73 per cent of City Centre Airport flights are not related to the North,” says Milley. “Approximately 40 per cent of City Centre Airport’s air movements are flight training.”

“We have the air facilities to handle our growing city’s aviation needs cost-effectively and with great service to allow redevelopment of City Centre lands.”

Media inquiries:
Traci Bednard
Communications
p: 780 890 8055
c: 780 909 9554
e: tbednard@flyeia.com