Fort McMurray, AB – June 10, 2016 – Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) celebrated a significant milestone for the community – the return of commercial air service to YMM.
At 9:11 a.m. Air Canada flight 8371 from Calgary touched down, marking the first commercial flight to arrive at YMM. It has been over one month since all inbound and outbound commercial flights at YMM were suspended to provide Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AAF) dedicated use of the runways and airspace around YMM for emergency operations relating to the wildfire.
“Today marks an important milestone for the community as we celebrate the return of commercial air service to YMM”, said Scott Clements, President & CEO of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority. “I cannot thank our employees and business partners enough for their commitment and dedication to helping us recover and prepare for this day. Their support allows us to stand here today, in a safe, clean and inviting terminal building, doing what we do best – welcoming residents and travellers alike to our community.”
Thank You & Welcome Home
As YMM proudly reopens, passengers and community members are asked to participate in the Airport’s Welcome Home / Thank You art installation. Jointly designed by Edmonton International Airport (EIA) and YMM, these boards will provide residents the opportunity to thank the communities that supported them during the evacuation, as well as inscribe a message of hope for fellow community members returning home. Boards are located at both EIA and YMM and once filled, will be exchanged and proudly displayed throughout the great cities of Edmonton and Fort McMurray.
Comfort Kits
Arriving passengers were greeted with a comfort kit filled with items to aid in their return to the community. Items included a cooler bag, bottled water, energy bars, hand sanitizer, and notebooks. The comfort kits were generously funded by a number of Airport business partners including WestJet, Air Canada, Pattison Outdoor Advertising and ATB Financial. The YMM Merchants Association, consisting of food, beverage and retail operators at the Airport also donated flower seed packets to commemorate the return to the community.
Comfort Kit Sponsors Include:
PATTISON Outdoor Advertising
“Our core values are all about total customer satisfaction and looking after the communities we serve – and we have been doing that continuously on the Prairies since our founding in 1908”, said Brian de Ruiter, Vice President/General Manager, Prairie Region, PATTISON Outdoor Advertising. “To that end, we are proud to work with our partners and welcome the people of Fort McMurray back home. PATTISON stands behind you 100% and is proud to be Fort McMurray Strong.”
ATB Financial
ATB Financial, Alberta’s largest homegrown financial institution, contributed towards the comfort kits and offered a special welcome home message for everyone arriving at YMM.
“The comfort kits being offered to returnees are a small way of showing how much we care about our friends and neighbours in Fort McMurray,” said Dave Mowat, ATB’s President & CEO. “As our team members and customers begin to settle back into the community, we’ll do everything we can to help make the transition home a smooth one.”
Air Canada
“We welcome home our customers and employees of our Air Canada Express partner Jazz. We extend our gratitude to the first responders, the countless men and women who continue working around the clock, and the team at Fort McMurray International Airport for their tireless work in making the return to commercial air service possible today. We have been honoured to transport members of Team Rubicon, other first responders, and work with Global Medic to transport supplies to support Fort McMurray. Our focus at Air Canada is helping Fort McMurray residents get back home as quickly, conveniently and comfortably as possible,” said Kevin Howlett, Senior Vice President, Regional Markets & Government Relations at Air Canada.
WestJet
“This is a very important day for the city of Fort McMurray as we again see guests and employees walking through the concourse of Fort McMurray International Airport,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice President, Commercial. “WestJet is proud to be part of this big step towards a return to normal activities in the area. We welcome our guests and the many WestJet employees back and hope the solidarity shown by the people of Canada helps heal the negative impacts the fires have had on this wonderful community. For many people coming home may be a difficult moment, but this community can count on the support of our airline and the 12,000 WestJetters across the country."
YMM Merchants Association
The Merchants Association generously donated funds for the Comfort Kits as well as ‘forget-me-not’ flower seed packets as a way of commemorating the return to the community. Fort McMurray Airport Merchant’s Association, a group made up of YMM’s award winning retail and food & beverage providers including Earls, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, Best Buy Express, Burger King, Jugo Juice, Mary Brown’s Famous Chicken & Taters, Nicholby’s Convenience, Starbucks, Subway, Tim Hortons and True North Wine & Liquor.
PAVIX: Proven Winner for All Airport Concrete Infrastructure
International Chem-Crete Corporation (ICC) manufactures and sells PAVIX, a unique line of crystalline waterproofing products that penetrate into the surface of cured concrete to fill and seal pores and capillary voids, creating a long lasting protective zone within the concrete substrate.
Once concrete is treated, water is prevented from penetrating through this protective zone and causing associated damage, such as freeze-thaw cracking, reinforcing steel corrosion, chloride ion penetration, and ASR related cracking.
This white paper discusses how the PAVIX CCC100 technology works and its applications.