Boundary Bay Airport - History

History

Following the closure of Canadian Forces Station Ladner, the site was used by the community of Ladner for picnics, public fairs and auto racing. When it became apparent that Vancouver International Airport could no longer sustain general aviation and commercial traffic, Transport Canada proposed reactivating Boundary Bay for general aviation. The airport underwent restoration, and on July 11, 1983 two of the three runways were reopened as Boundary Bay Airport. The other runway and some ramp space was made available for driver training and other events.

Alpha Aviation acquired the Boundary Bay Airport and assumed management on 1 December 2004, under a lease currently held by the Corporation of Delta. Shortly thereafter, under the terms of the lease, driver training, auto-X and drag racing were removed from the airport, allowing Alpha Aviation to focus on runway, facility and land-use improvements.

Investment by Alpha Aviation and a grant from the British Columbia government enabled an extension of runway 07/25, improving usability of the runway for corporate jets. The upgrades mean that Boundary Bay Airport may now be included as a prime alternative landing destination to Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

A new maintenance hangar at the airport is now complete, and the old maintenance hangar has been declared a Heritage site. Space is available on a lease basis in the Heritage hangar for aircraft storage.

In January 2008, Boundary Bay Airport's largest tenant, Heli-One, a division of CHC Helicopter moved into new facilities at Boundary Bay Airport. A 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2) building was constructed to provide repair and maintenance services. Other maintenance facilities include Firkus Aircraft, Halcyon Aviation, R & Z Avionics, Safari Express Aircraft Maintenance and Ts'ang Aero Marine.

As of February 2010, Alpha Aviation has since opened the new terminal just off taxiway "C". This new facility offers facilities for GA and private aircraft, with services run by Alpha Aviation. The new facility will allow Boundary Bay Airport to accommodate regional airlines.

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