Prince George, B.C. – Economic development in northern B.C. and the role played by the region’s airports will be the focus of a two-day meeting in Prince George next week of the B.C. Aviation Council.

The association that represents aviation and aerospace in the province is setting its sights on the North by hosting its annual Airports Workshop here on February 26th  and 27th.  It will be the first time in the council’s history that it has hosted an event outside the lower mainland.   Co-host will be the Prince George Airport  Authority.   Industry leaders will gather to discuss how aviation infrastructure keeps pace with rapid growth in this booming part of the country.

The chair of the BCAC, Marck Duncan, says “traditionally, we’ve held our airport forums in the southern part of the province—primarily in Metro Vancouver.  But lately, we’ve seen exceptional passenger growth and new carriers and businesses at our northern airports as they scale up to meet the demands of energy companies and resource developers. Earlier this year WestJet Encore chose this booming part of the world to launch its Encore product with service to Fort St. John, which highlights the importance of airports and airlines in supporting economic growth.”

Scott Clements, CEO of Fort McMurray International Airport, will be a keynote luncheon speaker describing techniques he has used to meet 30% year-over-year growth and sharing solutions with Northern BC Airports. Topics for discussion will include airport safety and security, new airport regulations, legal solutions, economic impact and funding models for key infrastructure expansion.