NANAIMO – The key to serving the hundreds of thousands of people who use Nanaimo Airport? Partnerships with local businesses.
A variety of Central Vancouver Island firms partner with the Nanaimo Airport Commission to provide passengers with everything from fresh food to transportation. They also serve other businesses that depend on the airport for moving goods on and off of the Island.
And the work they do creates direct and indirect employment that helps support some 1,600 local families. In fact, airport operations generate an estimated $100 million in annual economic activity in the region. That makes Nanaimo Airport one of the Central Island’s main economic drivers.
Most of the businesses at the airport are devoted to passenger services. Some, like Air Canada Jazz, WestJet Encore and Island Express Air, are highly visible. Others work more behind the scenes. United Ramp Incorporated and Canwest, for example, provide ground services to the major airlines.
Other business partners include:
- G4S, which handles passenger screening
- Connections Café
- National, Hertz and Budget car rental agencies
- AC Taxi and Yellow Cab
- The Airporter
- Enex Fuels
- Nav Canada, which operates the flight services station
- Canadian Border Services
Numerous contractors for winter maintenance, landscaping, janitorial services and so on. The airport is also home to FedEx, Nanaimo Aircraft Maintenance, and Vital Aviation flight school. The Cottonwood Golf Course is also situated on airport land.
The Airport Commission expects to welcome new business partners as part of its much-needed expansion to keep up with record growth in passenger traffic. The plan, and Aviation Gateway land development opportunities, fulfill three critical priorities:
- Regional economic development
- Economic stimulus through infrastructure construction
- Meeting escalating demand for air service through the next decade
