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
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.