The Ottawa International Airport Authority marks its 25^th anniversary today.

On February 1, 1997, the federal government transferred responsibility for the operation and development of the Ottawa International Airport to a community-based Board of Directors and the Airport Authority team. The transfer was facilitated through a 60-year Ground Lease with Transport Canada. The Lease was extended by 20 years and is currently set to expire in 2077.

Since 1997, the Authority has invested nearly $720 million in airport infrastructure. Development highlights include:

• U.S. Preclearance facility
• New combined services building to accommodate YOW’s Airport Fire Service and vehicle maintenance operations
• New 198,000 m², three-level terminal, including 15 gates and enhanced accessibility features
• New Parkade facility for 1,700 customer vehicle parking spaces and rental car operations, connected to the terminal by two elevated walkways
• Two Parkade expansions to add 900 and 700 additional spots, respectively, and a roof over Level 4
• Phase II  7,000 m² expansion of the terminal adding 12 Canada/International gates
• Comprehensive rehabilitation projects for commercial runways 14/32 and 07/25
• Rehabilitation for Runway 04/22 that serves general aviation operations
• Runway End Safety Areas established to international standards for both commercial runways
• Runway grooving for both commercial runways (first commercial airport in Canada to be grooved)
• Baggage Handling System replacement and modernization
• YOW+ multi-pillared terminal enhancement program launched
• Canada/International security screening checkpoint move to Level 3 with CATSA Plus technology deployment
• Airport Terminal Station to connect the airport to the City of Ottawa’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) System Stage 2 (underway)

These and many more projects over the years, combined with the airport campus community’s focus on providing excellent customer service while meeting the community’s needs, have made YOW an award-winning, accessible, world-class gateway for Canada’s Capital Region.

YOW has also enjoyed significant growth over the past 25 years. The airport’s overall operation has grown from 4,600 direct and indirect employees, $85M wage bill and $240M annual economic output in 1997 to a staggering 10,800+ jobs, $600M in wages and $2.2B total yearly economic output (Economic Impact Survey, 2017). In that time, we also grew our annual passenger base from 3.05M to 5.1M.

Without question, the global COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented disruption over the past two years, including a severe drop in passenger volumes and devastating financial losses. Despite these challenges, the Airport Authority has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to maintain essential services, including life-saving passenger and cargo operations. LRT station construction continues and necessary airfield maintenance presses on. Although other development plans are delayed, they will be revisited when conditions permit – a timeline that could take several years.

We would like to take this opportunity to recognize the importance of those who have helped shape the airport – past and present, including our employees, board members, volunteers, campus partners, stakeholders, and the communities we serve. We extend our heartfelt thanks to these and many others who have contributed to the Ottawa International Airport Authority’s success over 25 amazing years.

Quotes:

Code Cubitt, Chair of the Board

“25 years is an incredible milestone. We can’t mark the date in as festive a manner as we would have liked given the current situation, but the growth and achievements during this time must be acknowledged and celebrated. Congratulations to the entire team for making the Ottawa International Airport a source of pride for Canada’s Capital Region.”

Mark Laroche, President and CEO

“I am so proud of our airport, our employees, and the important role we play in connecting Ottawa-Gatineau to the rest of the world. There’s no question the pandemic has set us back; however, I am looking forward to the future when we can resume our role as a significant economic and social lever in our community. We have important projects that will make YOW an even better and more important gateway to Canada’s Capital Region.”

The Ottawa International Airport in 1997.

The Ottawa International Airport today.