The Lethbridge Airport will receive $150,000 for a hangar development feasibility study and business case, as part of a $1.13 million investment from the Government of Alberta. The overall investment is to support the development of regional airports across the province.
This investment will facilitate the growth of the province’s regional airport network, enabling the seamless movement of people and goods, and creating more opportunities for municipalities and local industry to thrive.
The grant funding will support 10 regional airports in developing business cases and feasibility studies for improved airport infrastructure and air transportation. The projects will allow the airports to identify, explore and prioritize improvements and opportunities to increase their economic competitiveness, such as increasing the number of air carriers or the efficiency of aircraft movement to bolster the economic output of regional airports.
“Regional airports support economic development and serve as a hub for emergency services for rural Alberta. The funding provided will benefit many rural communities and represents a strong step in maintaining Alberta’s rural transportation network,” says Kara Westerlund, vice-president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta.
The funded projects vary in scope and size depending on the specific needs of each airport. They include exploring airport certification to support scheduled air services, airport commercial development, commercial air services, hangar development and development of strategic business cases to restore regional airports’ positions as primary transportation hubs.
The projects will also support the creation of an air service business case to attract new airlines, analyzing highest-need routes, determining baseline capacities of airport infrastructure, and identifying capital asset rehabilitation and replacement requirements.