article

Statistics (2005) Number of Passengers 3,229,111 Aircraft Movements 86,393

Halifax International Airport (also known as HIA) is an airport in Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada that serves the Halifax Regional Municipality and central Nova Scotia as well as a hub for nearby areas of the Maritime provinces. It is the 7th busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, serving 3.2 million passengers in 2005, and the 19th busiest by aircraft movements. Since 2000 it has been operated by the local not-for-profit private organization, Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA). The airport is headquarters to the regional airline Air Canada Jazz.

In 2004 the airport handled a total of 89,845 landings and departures with 3,242,389 passengers.

History

Pre 1960

An airfield on the Halifax Peninsula operated as the city's main airport until 1942, when it closed. CFB Shearwater was utilised as Halifax's primary airport until June 1960, when the new Kelly Lake airport (HIA) was opened.

The airport was moved outside of the city to nearby Enfield to try to cut back on the number of days fog would play into factor for the take-off and landing of planes.

Operation Yellow Ribbon

On September 11, 2001, Halifax International Airport was part of Operation Yellow Ribbon, as it took 44 flights—more flights than any other Canadian airport involved in the operation—carrying about 7,300 passengers—more passengers than any other Canadian airport involved in the operation other than Vancouver. Much of this was because flights that were coming from Europe were told to avoid the major airports in Central Canada, like Lester B. Pearson in Toronto and Montréal-Dorval. *

Awards

Halifax International Airport fared well in the 2005 AETRA survey for passenger satisfaction, produced by IATA and Airports Council International. Halifax International Airport was ranked the best airport in the Americas for the second year in a row, as well as the best airport in the less than 5 million passengers a year category for the third year in a row, and best domestic service for the second year in a row.

Airport

Terminal & renovations

The airport terminal building at the Halifax International Airport was originally opened in September, 1960. It was originally designed to serve around 100,000 passengers annually, and it currently serves around 3.2 million. The growth experienced in the decades since the airports construction necessitated constant renovations, and some residents of the Halifax RM jokingly refer to it as the airport that's never completed.

In 2005 the terminal was renamed in honour of Robert L. Stanfield, the former Premier of Nova Scotia. There is a plaque noting this in a museum-like portion of the public observation floor.

Since 1998, Halifax International Airport has been undergoing an extensive renovation program. The next phase of this program was announced in September 2004. The major multi-year expansion project will include a rehabilitation of the run-ways, new terminal expansions, new parking lots, a new hotel, and internal beautifications including an observation tower. The project will cost over $90 million. The Airport has already completed the observation tower and the internal beautifications but the parking lot, terminal expansion and runways rehabilitation are yet to be done. The runway construction is causing delays due to the fact it is harder for planes to take off and land during this work. The work should be completed around 2008.

In December 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection approved Halifax International for U.S. border preclearance. It will take effect in late 2006. HIA is currently the busiest airport in Canada without U.S. Customs preclearance.

Aerotech Business Park

The Halifax International Airport is located adjacent to the Aerotech Business Park, a business park originally catering towards aviation companies. The zoning has since been changed to allow for other types of companies to locate there. The two largest tenants are Pratt & Whitney Canada and L-3 Communications.

Possible Space Shuttle Landing Site

Halifax International Airport is one of a handful of sites along the eastern North America where the space shuttle could land if something went wrong liftoff or has to land in a hurry. Astronauts have training on a simulator . *

Airlines and destinations

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Halifax International Airport".

Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world