Alberta remains flight desert for travellers with many airports still closed to international arrivals

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 14, 2022.

Ottawa is being called on to open all Alberta airports to international arrivals. Herald file photo

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Ottawa is being called on to open all Alberta airports to international arrivals.

The group representing government, industry and business on Tuesday said “urgent action and fairness” is needed.

Jim Johannsson, a director of Cooking Lake Airport’s volunteer board, said in an email to The Herald on Tuesday that “we have been struggling for many months to reopen additional Alberta airports to international arrivals. Unfortunately, our federal government has been unresponsive and Alberta remains dead last, by a huge margin, to all other provinces in Canada for reopened airports.

“The Lethbridge airport has been partially reopened – but only to CANPASS permit holders.  Unfortunately, Ottawa halted processing of CANPASS permits two-and-a-half years ago so half of all issued permits have expired and you can’t yet get a new one.

“There is still no timeline when Lethbridge will be restored to its former AOE/15 status which would allow non-CANPASS permit holders to clear customs in Lethbridge. Meanwhile, 100 per cent of all reopened airports in B.C. have been restored to their AOE/15 status, said Johannsson of Cooking Lake which is the oldest operating public airport in Canada and the fifth busiest community airport in Alberta with 30,000 aircraft movements each year. It is located 15 kilometres east of Sherwood Park.

“Last May, requests to reopen two additional Alberta airports were denied. That same week Alberta was denied, the federal government reopened 254 docks and 20 additional airports in Ontario to international travellers,” said Johannsson.

The group in a release said “Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada (by population) but lags far behind all other provinces in the reopening of airports to international arrivals. On a per capita basis, Alberta is dead last in airport reopenings, making it the most underserved region in the country.

The need is especially acute in the Edmonton Metropolitan region where there are currently no General Aviation (GA) airports open to international arrivals. The Edmonton Metropolitan region is the fifth largest in Canada.

Only five Alberta airports have been reopened to international arrivals with an AOE/15 level of service or greater. However, two of those AOE/15 airports (Coutts and Whetstone) are unmaintained grass strips that are only usable by small bush planes.”

Ottawa though reopened 27 airports in B.C., all with customs service at an AOE/15 or greater level of service.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is quoted in the release as saying “Ottawa has placed Alberta at the very bottom of its priority list for reopening airports to international arrivals and is yet another example of Albertans being disregarded by their federal government. Alberta’s aviation sector is an important economic driver. We need Ottawa to reopen our airports to international arrivals as quickly as possible.”

“Alberta businesses are just as important as those in other provinces including Ontario, B.C., and New Brunswick,” said Shauna Feth, president and CEO, Alberta Chambers of Commerce, in the release.

“Alberta businesses have waited patiently for Ottawa to reopen its’ most critical airports to international arrivals only to see the priority given to docks in Ontario. There needs to be a level playing field for Canada’s business community and we need our airports reopened.”

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