YXX offers daily domestic scheduled services and seasonal international scheduled services. The airport is equipped with a CAT 1 instrument landing system, on-site aircraft rescue and firefighting, and a fully serviced air terminal building with customs and passenger screening. It is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for all scheduled international arrivals. CBSA also provides clearance services to all general aviation aircraft with no more than 15 passengers.[1]
Abbotsford Airport is also home to the Abbotsford Shell Aerocentre FBO and flying schools, such as Coastal Pacific Aviation, Principal Air and Chinook Helicopters. YXX is highly visible to the public due to the Abbotsford International Airshow,[6] Defense & Security Expo,[7] and Tradex[8] events centre.
The facility covers 519 hectares (1,282 acres, 2.0 square miles) of airport property.[9]
There are approximately 87 hectares (215 acres) of land immediately available for airside and landside development. In 2023, 1,275,484 passengers passed through Abbotsford International Airport.[5]
In 2018, the airport announced it will undergo a $5 million, 14,000-square-foot expansion to add new gates and additional passenger seating capacity.[10]
History
World War II (1940–1945)
Abbotsford Airport entrance
The Royal Canadian Air Force purchased the land to build Abbotsford Airport in 1940. In 1943 the construction of the three 1,555 m × 60 m (5,100 ft × 200 ft) runways based on a triangular layout was complete. The same year, under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School started operations from this location until 1944. The No 5 Operational Conversion Unit was split between Abbotsford and Boundary Bay Airport.
Aerodrome information
In approximately 1942, the aerodrome was listed at 49°01′N122°22′W / 49.017°N 122.367°W / 49.017; -122.367 with a Var. 23.5 degrees E and no listed elevation. The aerodrome was listed as "Under construction - Servicable" and had three runways as follows:
[11]
The airport became the home to Skyways Air Services and Conair Aviation in the 1960s. Abbotsford is still the primary base for Conair's fleet of water bombers.[citation needed]
In September 1984, Pope John Paul II held an open-air mass for over 200,000 people at the airport.[12]
Current (1997–present)
On January 1, 1997, the ownership of the Abbotsford Airport was transferred from the Department of Transport to the City of Abbotsford for a sum of $10.[citation needed] In June of that year, Abbotsford became a jet passenger airport in with the start of scheduled service to Alberta by WestJet. Prior, Airspeed Aviation had been the exclusive operator offering regional service to Victoria, B.C. since 1986. Canada 3000 was the first airline to offer transcontinental service from Abbotsford to Toronto in June 2000. Abbotsford's first international charter flight was to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in December 2003 by tour operator Transat Holidays.[citation needed]
In 2010, a new parallel taxiway was added alongside runway 07/25, and the main airport apron was extended. An aircraft run-up bay that can accommodate up to three medium weight category aircraft at the same time was added near the Cascade Aerospace hangar.[citation needed]
From 2017, Abbotsford International Airport began to see a resurgence in air passenger numbers, with the introduction of service to Edmonton and Calgary with WestJet. In 2018, Flair Airlines introduced additional flights to Edmonton, and new flights to Winnipeg and Hamilton. Swoop, WestJet's ULCC subsidiary, began similar operations, with flights to Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, London (ON), Las Vegas, and seasonal flights to Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.[13]Air Canada Rouge used to offer seasonal service to Toronto between June and October since 2015. This service was initially suspended in 2019 due to the Boeing 737 MAX groundings and once again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has never returned since.[14]
Airshow
Since 1962, the airport has hosted the annual Abbotsford International Airshow usually held the second weekend in August. Designated as Canada's national airshow in the mid 1970s by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, it is Canada's largest airshow as well as one of North America's largest airshows. It has been listed as one of the ten best airshows in the world.[15] it draws airplane enthusiasts from all over Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The static displays allow people to get up close to many of the exhibits while numerous performances decorate the skies above.[16]
The International Council of Airshows awarded a Silver Pinnacle Award to the airshow in 2014.[17]
The airport is serviced by Central Fraser Valley Transit Route 21, which connects Aldergrove with Bourquin Exchange in Abbotsford. Per the rider guide dated 2017-09-03, it is unlikely that this service will be useful to airline passengers.
The airport is served by Ebus, on their route between Vancouver and Kamloops/Kelowna and Rider Express on their route from Vancouver to Calgary. Ebus is a carrier based in Alberta.
References
^ abCanada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
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