b'72 New Outdoor Deck Relieves Passenger YYG TERMINALSCongestion at Charlottetown Airport BY MIKE SCHWANZWhile some airports have struggledTo alleviate congestion, Newson and FACTS&FIGURESto recover passenger traffic losthis team knew that improvements had to Project: Outdoor Deck during the COVID-19 pandemic,be made before the 2023 travel season Location: Charlottetown Airport, on Prince Edward Island the opposite is true at Charlottetown Airportstarted. Fortunately, groundwork for Size: 4,000 sq. ft. (YYG) on Prince Edward Island in easternexpanding the departure area had already Canada. In 2023, the airport recordedbeen laid in the master plan developed by Cost: $1.6 million 402,686 passengersan increase of moreAirbiz in 2019, just before the pandemic Funding: Airport than 18% from 2022. And that number ishit and effectively closed down all of Planning: June-Dec. 2022expected to rise again this year. Prince Edward Island. Like many other Design: Feb. to April 2023This demand created new challenges.organizations, the airport put infrastructure Construction: April-July 2023 As the 2022 summer travel season woundplans on hold until the major public health down, it was apparent to airport officialscrisis subsided. Master Plan & Facility Planning: AirbizChief Architect: SableARC that the existingHowever, YYG may have been the first departure loungeairport in Canada to recover from the General Contractor: Fitzgerald & Snowcould not comfortablypandemic and then exceed 2019 traffic Electrical Contractor: R. Cudmore Electrical handle the surgelevels. Its 2023 passenger volume was Glazing Contractor: OConnor Glass of traffic YYG wasabout 5% higher than in 2019. Newson Structural Steel Contractor: MQM Quality Manufacturing experiencing. This wastheorizes that the low population and Sprinkler: Troy Life & Safety especially true in Julygeographic isolation of Prince Edward and August, notesIsland worked in its favor. We are a Civil & Structural Engineer: SCL Engineering Chief Executive OfficerDOUG NEWSON small island, with only 175,000 people, Mechanical Engineer: MCA Consultants Doug Newson. About one-third of our totalhe explains. During COVID, we had the Electrical Engineer: Richardson Associates annual passenger traffic came in those twostrictest rules in Canada for allowing Key Benefits: Less congestion in terminal; pleasantmonths alone, he explains. It was not apeople from the mainland here. Besides outdoor alternative for passengers waiting to board flights;pleasant experience for our customers. our airport, there is only one bridge for cost-effective use of space aligns with seasonal travel patternMay | June 2024AirportImprovement.com'