Promoting YXS Highlight Of Olympic Mtg

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 04:33 AM

Russian IL 76 arrives at YXS yesterday photo courtesty of PG Airport Authority

Vancouver, B.C. - The touchdown of a large Russian aircraft at the Prince George Airport could not have come at a more opportune time for city officials meeting with international business leaders in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Russian Ilyushin 76 is parked at YXS because of capacity problems at airports in the Lower Mainland, due to Olympic traffic. (click here, for more) This is the second large cargo carrier to make a stop in Prince George.

And the two success stories will bolster airport officials' case that Prince George is fully-positioned, infrastructure-wise, and well-positioned geographically to accomodate international carriers. Both the Airport Authority's CEO, John Gibson, and its Director of Marketing and Business Development, Todd Doherty, flew to Vancouver before the IL 76 arrived yesterday. Doherty says they'll be spending the rest of the week in Vancouver talking to a number of carriers about the local airport's potential.

And Mayor Dan Rogers says there were a number of airline representatives at last night's business meeting, arranged by Initiatives Prince George. "And that was a key for us to further position the opportunities that exist in developing Prince George as a logistics hub."

The get-together was made up of roughly 100 business leaders from a variety of areas - forestry, bio-energy, post-secondary education, and high-tech industries. Rogers says it was an excellent opportunity to renew existing relationships, look at opportunities to build on them and start some new ones that, "I'm sure will yield benefits for us in the long term."

While there were no concrete results, he points out, "Everything that we do is about continually driving the message home about the northern decade that we believe lies before us, it's about building on the relationships we have and looking at starting new ones and it takes time."

"As (far as) specific examples, you know, we continue to build our relationships in Asia with Asian airlines and companies and look forward to, step-by-step, building the opportunities that exist at the airport and beyond that and I'm sure we'll see results step-by-step, year-after-year that will enhance those opportunities long term."

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Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 04:33 AM in News by Michelle Cyr-Whiting

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Comments

Posted by: Municca on February 24 2010 7:57 AM

6 posts about one airplane landing at our airport? Is there any other news happening around this city? No Friday free for all last week. Can we say BORING!

Posted by: palomino on February 24 2010 8:33 AM

There's been some speculation about whether or not we could have landed this airplane on our "old" runway, before the extension, and I suspect we could have, but it never hurts to have a little "safety factor" worked in if its available IMHO.

Google "IL-76 take-off in Austrailia" and you'll see what I mean. (Gotta love them Aussies -- they sure do "tell it like it is") :-)

Posted by: seamutt on February 24 2010 10:00 AM

There are a lot of factors that come into play for the length of runway that an aircraft needs and the design of the aircraft. Altitude, air temperature equating to density altitude. Heavier the airplane, plus the lower air density of a higher airport, the more runway it will need. The PG airport is at 2200 feet and that is a big factor over an airport at sea level. More runway needed for takeoff and landing.

An aircraft like the Galaxy could easly have used the old runway length fully loaded. It is designed to operate out of shorter runways but that consideration does not give it efficiency in the air such as an 747. A 747 designed for efficiency in the air does not allow for short runways. Almost like comparing a jeep and corvette.

In 2000 a 747 landed here but could not take off with enough fuel to reach China because it would have been too heavy for the exsisting length of runway. It landed in Whitehorse, fueled, then carried on.

Posted by: bowzone_mikey on February 24 2010 11:24 AM

I seem to recall 20 or years ago an Antinov heavy cargo plane landed here with the Huge hydro Turbine in Hixon ....

Posted by: maddog on February 24 2010 1:52 PM

Alot of hype for nothing this aircraft did not need the runway expansion for it to land here could of easily landed on the old runway. Just a pr. stunt for the airport authority to say another customer because of the runway expansion.

Lets face it we have the third longest runway in Canada and are never going to have it fully utilized. Nice dream by some though.

Posted by: BCRacer on February 24 2010 3:46 PM

I hope they didn't have to wait to long for landing clearance....there are so many aircraft waiting to use our airport these days....

And yes we had the antinov land hear a while back...easily...without the extended runway.

but I am sure the airport commision will continue to pat them selves on the back, even though I believe they had little or nothing to do with this...

hopefully they at least buy a coffee and donut before the leave...

fuel? I doubt it.....

Posted by: palomino on February 24 2010 4:13 PM

Funny -- I don't remember reading anywhere that the airport authority claims the IL-76 is here because we happen to have the longest runway in BC !!

Maybe its just more about seizing one more opportunity for all those naysayers to puke some more negativity into any positive occurance they can, including this one?

It must be hell to have to listen to some of us say positive things about events, especially at the airport, however tiny these first steps are, when you've been strutting around like a peacock spouting off about how "you" knew better than all of us that this airport is going to put us in the poorhouse, especially since "you" told us it was a stupid move right from the beginning.

Personally, I fully support our airport and its heroic struggle to bring this little city into the 21st century! It won't be an easy task, but one that will undoubtedly succeed, perhaps more quickly than even I dared hope for - and - if there's something I can do to help it succeed, I'd be more than happy to volunteer.

This facility is our gateway, and the key, to the very future of this city.