The Coulson Group of Companies and Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District staff are in talks to expand the runway at the Alberni Valley Regional Airport by 1,000 feet, according to CEO Wayne Coulson.
If completed, and coupled with an airport GPS approach that is currently in the works, the local airport could be a busier place and better prepared for further expansion in coming years, Coulson said.
For the Coulson Group, which leases property at the airport for its aviation branch, an expanded runway would allow for bigger aircraft, such as the C-130 Hercules it currently has fighting forest fires with the US Forest Service, to come in for maintenance.
"If we could get another 1,000 feet, we could get big airplanes in here," Coulson said. "And really the market we have is for bigger aircraft for servicing and doing maintenance."
Coulson added having larger aircraft come in for service would be a job-creator for Valley residents.
For example, one tank installation on a bomber would take 10,000 man-hours, or five manyears, of labour.
"Of course we would have multiple people on there, but that's the sort of labour it generates locally here," Coulson said.
The airport is owned by the ACRD. Coulson is in talks with regional district staff about what the cost will be for a runway expansion, and what can be worked out between the two parties to make it happen.
He noted having an extended runway would allow for larger tourism-based airlines to enter the Valley as well.
According to ACRD manager of environmental services Andy Daniel, the regional district has not budgeted any funds to contribute to the costs to help this project come to fruition.
"It's not on our radar at this time," Daniel said, "but we completely support Coulson in doing the investigative work and we would be happy to discuss the opportunities that it may present.
"We are supplying them with relevant information — some of which is the geotechnical reports from when the airport was built, and historic information, so if they choose to proceed with investigating the options and costs, they'll have the appropriate background."
As part of its five-year financial plan, ACRD directors have decided to invest $50,000 in a published GPS approach that will allow pilots to fly into the Valley on days with a low cloud cover, something that is not allowed without the approach under instrument flight rules.
According to Alberni Valley Flying Club president Chris Duncan, having the approach could attract an airline company to bring scheduled flight service to the AVRA. And for
the airport, Coulson said having a flight service could bring expansion in the future.
"The disadvantage we have is, because we don't have a scheduled airport, we can't attract the federal dollars," Coulson said of the AVRA. "It's like Comox. If you get the dollars and then the terminal, it starts to build prosperity... You could look at significant upgrades where all of a sudden people aren't landing in Nanaimo and driving to Alberni."
As well, for business, Coulson said he usually gets a customer a week that has to fly into Nanaimo because of the lack of a GPS approach to the AVRA.
"If we get that in, it's really going to help us," he said.
