Edmonton airport gets $25M from Ottawa to cover COVID-19 losses
Edmonton International Airport will get about $25 million in federal funding to offset COVID-19's impact and complete projects it put off while ridership was low.
The cash consists of $18.5 million from Transport Canada's Airport Critical Infrastructure Program and nearly $6.2 million from the national Airport Relief Fund.
EIA was one of many airports across Canada closed to international flights in March 2020. It will only begin accepting American routes on Aug. 9 and travellers from other countries on Sept. 7, when border restrictions ease.
In 2020, the number of flyers who passed through the airport dropped from 8.1 million to 2.6 million. In the first half of 2021, only 700,000 passengers had travelled through Edmonton – one sixth of normal traffic, estimated EIA's president and CEO Tom Ruth.
"This feels like one more step in our journey toward recovery and that's never been more vital for our airport, for industry, and for economic recovery," he said.
Ridership noticeably increased over the previous week, Ruth added; the airport has been counting about 5,000 outbound passengers daily.
The money from the federal government and relief fund will help to maintain EIA's services. The $18.5 million from the infrastructure program will fund runway, safety area, airfield lighting, and aircraft apron upgrades.
Neither of Ottawa's contributions require flight prices to be kept at similar levels, but officials said the cash will prevent pandemic costs from being put on customers.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra flew into EIA for the announcement. It was the third visit by a federal government member in July.
"I know there are all kinds of political sometimes football that takes place," Alghabra said, "but notwithstanding that, I'm here and so are other ministers to demonstrate to Albertans and to entire country how important Alberta to Canada and how important Alberta to our government is."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Calgary at the beginning of the month to meet with Alberta's premier and the city's mayor.
And Canada's infrastructure minister was in Edmonton days earlier to announce money had been greenlit for the city's LRT extension project.
Correction
An earlier version of this article stated EIA would receive $24.7 million in addition to the funding from the infrastructure and relief programs. The story has been corrected to reflect it will receive a total of $24.7 million.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.