A FIRST AND LAST IMPRESSION The Fredericton International Airport opens new expansion earlier this year
By Shayna Wiwierski
Travelers coming to and from
was a decade in the making, according
the building was designed to handle
Fredericton by air will now be greeted
to Kate O’Rourke, manager of PR
about 200,000 people a year and in
in style.
and marketing for the Fredericton
2019 we had 427,000 people. We were
International Airport Authority.
well over capacity and had been for
The Fredericton International Airport
about a decade,” says O’Rourke. “So,
completed their two-year expansion
“The Fredericton airport was built
the airport authority got creative and
project this past February, several
in the 1960s and has been added to
worked with our partners to find ways
months ahead of schedule. The project
here and there over the years, but
to move people through the building more efficiently, but there are limits to
The Fredericton International Airport completed their two-year expansion project this past February.
how much capacity you can add that way. We were desperately in need of an expansion and renovation.” Although the airport had seen numerous additions over the years, the airport authority decided to strip the current airport down to the steel girders, upgrade the space, and then add more than 50 per cent to the footprint. The original building, which was built in 1963, was 14,000 square feet, and with the numerous additions over the years it was 38,000 square feet before this significant expansion.
Although the airport had seen numerous additions over the years, the airport authority decided to strip the current airport down to the steel girders, upgrade the space, and then add more than 50 per cent to the footprint.
The new footprint of the airport is now 62,000 square feet. Construction started in June 2019 on the $32 million project, with $9 million each being funded by the federal and provincial governments. The remainder of the cost was financed by the airport authority. The expansion includes new foundations on the air side of the building, high ceilings for a new hold room, a new baggage room, a new security screening area, and a new in-bound bag room. They also renovated the entire ticketing hall and baggage handling system. In addition to that, the expansion is aimed to accommodate traveler comfort and includes lots of natural light, new
34 CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION OF NEW BRUNSWICK
