Now boarding: Canada’s newest, coolest airport

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/10/2011 (4569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

From your first steps inside the new air terminal building at James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, you’ll likely be struck by two seemingly contradictory sentiments — "this can’t be Winnipeg" and "this is SO Winnipeg."

You’ll think the first one because the facility is such a marked upgrade from the one it’s replacing that you’d swear you’re in another city, maybe even another country. From the abundance of sunlight and the almost complete lack of walls to the latest in technology and the abundance of retailers, it might remind you of airports you were in once where you spotted something cool and said, "we should have that in Winnipeg."

Well, wish no longer because now all those cool things have been brought together in one place.

And you’ll think the second thought because once you’ve picked your jaw up off the floor, you’ll see Winnipeg everywhere. Literally. Every exterior wall is made of glass, which means you can check out the best view of the city’s skyline in one direction and watch the sunset in another.

And as Winnipeg Airports Authority president Barry Rempel noted, "you can see storms coming in for miles."

It doesn’t hurt that once you’re through security, you can munch on a Nip at Salisbury House, Winnipeg’s iconic restaurant chain, or have a slice at Gondola Pizza, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary next year of opening its first location in Fort Garry.

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In addition to being the greenest airport in Canada, it also has a number of other claims to fame.

• It’s the only one in Canada with a common bag drop area. It doesn’t matter where you’re travelling, within Canada to the U.S. or around the world, once you put your suitcase on the seven-kilometre-long belt, technology will ensure it’s dropped off at the right spot and will meet you at your destination.
• It’s the first in the country to use a "curtain wall" ventilation system that pumps out warm or cool air, depending on the season, but only at the height of passengers. The air far above their heads, for example, will not be affected, making for significantly lower operating costs.
• The 55 skylights above the arrivals area are the most of any airport in Canada.
• It’s the second airport in Canada with glass passenger boarding bridges. (Vancouver was the first.)
• It is also accessible for travellers with a variety of challenges. For example, the carpet in walking areas is broken up by tiling in front of washrooms to help blind people get their bearings. There are no outer doors on the washrooms, either, making it considerably easier for people in wheelchairs to enter. The information screens for departing and arriving aircraft have been brought down to about a metre off the floor.
• Two other elements aren’t groundbreaking but they’ll surely be appreciated by local travellers: an upper level roadway for departing passengers will eliminate congestion with arriving passengers and free Wi-Fi will be available for all laptop and tablet users.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Old Air Terminal Building

Opened: 1964

Size: 35,000 square metres

Cost: $18 million

(An additional $80 million was spent on extensive renovations in the mid-1980s.)

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New Air Terminal Building:

Opened: 2011

Size: 51,000 square metres

Cost: Almost $600 million, including financing costs. (Total cost includes the terminal building, parkade, new roadways and new air-side concrete work, including an apron, essentially a parking lot for airplanes, and taxi way.)