halifax stanfield international airport - the chronicle ......robert l. stanfield. then, on february...

THE CHRONICLE HERALD WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 2010 G1

G2 WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 2010 THE CHRONICLE HERALD

Congratulations to theHalifax Stanfi eld

International Airporton the milestone of your

50th anniversary.

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While Halifax Robert L. Stanfield In-ternational Airport means many thingsto Maritimers — a workplace, a busi-ness centre, a departure point foradventure — since opening in 1960 thefacility has been a site of fascination,wonder and excitement for millions ofpeople.

Halifax Stanfield is celebrating its50th anniversary this year. The mile-stone is marked by half a century ofmemories and cherished emotionalexperiences.

“After all these years I still get a rushwhen I come out here,” says Ira Gloade,a long-time Transport Canada employeewho also worked on the constructioncrew that built the airport. “It’s stillexciting for me as a person.”

Since 1960 the airport has undergonemany changes and improvements. Hali-fax Stanfield has evolved from a termi-nus operation for central Nova Scotia toa gateway airport for the entire Atlanticregion.

Matching the community’s growth inthe 1960s and ’70s, the number of pas-sengers using the facility increasednearly tenfold in the first 20 years. Itrose from 180,000 in 1960 to 1,700,000 in1980. Between 1990 and 2009, passen-gers increased from 2,500,000 to3,417,164.

Whereas the airport offered a merehandful of destinations in the beginning,today Halifax Stanfield boasts over 40and, in addition to offering CanadaCustoms services on a 24-hour basis,seven days a week, it’s the only airportin Atlantic Canada to offer U.S. preclea-rance.

“We’re Atlantic Canada’s gateway tothe world,” says Peter Spurway of theHalifax International Airport Authority(HIAA). “Halifax Stanfield is the region’sprincipal full-service airport, providingpassengers and cargo clients with ac-cess to markets across the country, theUnited States and Europe.”

Spurway says the airport is also a

major economic, fiscal and employmentgenerator valued at over $1.27 billionannually to the provincial economy. Hepoints out that Halifax Stanfield wel-comes over 3.4 million passengers peryear and is an internationally recognizedleader in customer service, having re-ceived first place awards in the globalAirport Service Quality program for thepast seven years.

“For many, Halifax Stanfield is theirfirst impression of our province andcapital city,” says Spurway “It’s veryimportant to us that the impression is agood one.”

Since HIAA took over operation ofthe airport from Transport Canada in2000, it has spent about $400 million onupgrades, including the recently com-pleted $45-million parkade and $150million in infrastructure improvements.

The 2,300-space parking facility isconnected to the terminal building withan enclosed over-road pedway andboasts Nova Scotia’s first moving side-walks.

Some of the other recent improve-ments include a direct link from thenew pedway to U.S. preclearancecheck-in, terminal building modifica-tions to accommodate the new pedway,as well as four new escalators, twoelevators, and a two-storey glass curtainwall.

Also new are separate upper andlower roads for picking up and droppingoff passengers, double the capacity fortraffic in front of the terminal, and glasscanopies over the pick-up and drop-offareas.

Even with all the renovations andtechnological advancements, says Spur-way, Maritimers still have a deeplyemotional connection.

“It truly is the community’s airport,”he says. “Halifax Stanfield is the centrepoint of some very meaningful andemotional experiences. Hundreds oftimes a day the airport is a host forfamily gatherings, tearful goodbyes, andwonderful homecomings. It’s also thelaunching point of many great adven-tures.”

The airport authority, he adds, isproud of the fact that visitors tell us thatHalifax Stanfield reflects a Maritimesensibility.

“In its 50 year history, the airport hascome to embody the very spirit of NovaScotia,” says Spurway. “It’s our ambas-sador — it reflects an obvious pride ofplace and has come to symbolize NovaScotia’s warm welcome to the world.”

In its 50-year history ‘the airport has come to embody the very spirit of Nova Scotia’

All stories by Ken Cashin


Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport(HSIA) as you celebrate 50 years of qualityservice to air passengers traveling to and fromall parts of the world. Commissionaires NovaScotia has been a part of that history sincethe airport’s relocation from Dartmouth in1960 and has been providing quality securityservices to the airport and the public for thesemany years of operation. We feel we are verymuch a part of The Halifax Robert L. StanfieldInternational Airport team….a team thatcontinues to be recognized with internationalawards for customer service and provides amodel for all international airports. We lookforward to serving HSIA for another 50 years.Happy Anniversary

ongratulationsongratulationswww.commissionaires.ca CC Proudly connecting Nova Scotia

to the world for 50 years

Sincere thanks to past and present airport employees and volunteers, and to our many airline partners, airport tenants and retailers for their part in providing world-class airport service since 1960.

A special thank you to all those who supported this feature, as well as the following companies for their contribution to our 50th anniversary celebrations.

www.fl yhalifax.com

As people who are old enough to re-member may know, what we call todayHalifax Robert L. Stanfield Internationalis a completely different airport thanwhat it was in 1960 when it first opened.

After 50 years of continuous changeand improvement, which has seen itevolve from a terminus operation forcentral Nova Scotia to a gateway airportfor the entire Atlantic Region, HalifaxStanfield has grown in size as well as inits importance to the community.

While it has never lost its local charmor pride of place, and remains the com-munity’s airport, Halifax Stanfield istoday Atlantic Canada’s air gateway tothe world.

Originally called Halifax InternationalAirport, it was built by the federal De-partment of Transport near Kelly Lake,on land provided by the City of Halifax.The first sod was turned in 1955.

Located in the Halifax Regional Mu-nicipality, 38 km north of Halifax, theAir Terminal Building was officiallyopened on September 10, 1960.

Initially, the airport provided thefacilities for approximately 180,000passengers. However, it became quiteapparent in the early 1970s that thegrowth rate at Halifax International wasgreater than the average airport. As aresult, a long-range development planfor the terminal was formed.

This resulted in a new holding roomfacility being opened in July, 1976, add-ing approximately 54,000 square feet offloor space to the original Air TerminalBuilding’s size of 236,171 square feet.

In 1988, two temporary passengerwalkways were constructed in an effortto increase the level of service to pas-sengers using the two major regionalcarriers. The hold room was again en-larged in December 1994, when the thenMinister of Transport Canada, DouglasYoung, officially opened the south ex-pansion of 44,300 square feet.

In the fall of 1998 the passengercheck-in area on the main level of theAir Terminal Building was also signif-icantly expanded.

Since 1985, the airport has greatlyincreased the scope of its operationsand today has become the community’sprincipal transportation link and one ofthe region’s most important economicdrivers. The number of passengers usingthe airport has increased from 180,000in 1960 to 1,700,000 in 1980 and to2,500,000 in 1990, with 3,417,164 pas-sengers utilizing the facility in 2009.

Today, Halifax Stanfield’s air serviceencompasses 21 passenger airlines and11 cargo carriers.

Its scheduled and chartered pas-senger services cover 17 domestic as

well as 12 U.S. and 16 internationaldestinations. The airport is the seventhbusiest in Canada by passenger traffic.In 2009, Halifax Stanfield handled a totalof 3,417,164 passengers and 88,477aircraft movements.

A new beginningFebruary 1, 2000, marked a major turn-ing point for the airport, as HalifaxInternational Airport Authority (HIAA)took over operational and managerialcontrol as a result of the National Air-

Local charm preserved throughhalf decade of colossal growth

See GATEWAY TO THE WORLD / G4


ports Policy, which was announced in1994 and called for the commercial-ization of designated Canadian airports,through divestitures, to communityinterests.

The policy enabled communities totake greater advantage of their airports,reduce costs, tailor levels of service tolocal demand, and attract new anddifferent types of business.

Since the transfer, HIAA has under-taken a multi-year, multi-faceted AirportImprovement Program, worth approxi-mately $400 million.

Major projects that have been com-pleted under this plan have included:construction of a state-of- the-art watertreatment facility and an airside sub-division, expansion of the internationaland domestic arrivals and public park-ing areas, completion of the publicobservation Flight Deck, and the cre-ation of Airport Square, a major expan-sion of the retail space and main lobby.

Other key improvements have beenthe opening of a south end commuteraircraft facility and a U.S. preclearancearea.

The next phase of development,which began in 2007, included recon-struction of the North Tunnel to providepassengers with ground access to theparking lot at the north end of the Ter-minal Building.

This phase also saw the reconfig-uration of the terminal front roadway toimprove the flow of passengers andvehicles by creating separate roads forpicking up and dropping off passengers.

In addition, it included the construc-tion of a 2,300 space, five-storey parkingfacility adjacent to the north end of theTerminal Building. The $45-million par-kade, completed in 2009, includes anover-road pedway to the terminal.

On September 9, 2005, a ceremony

was held on site to rename the Air Ter-minal Building after the HonourableRobert L. Stanfield. Then, on February9, 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harperrenamed the entire airport the Robert L.Stanfield International Airport.

A commemorative plaque is housed inthe Airport’s public observation FlightDeck.

In 2010 the Airport Authority com-pleted construction of a $27 millioncombined services maintenance facilityas well as its portion of a joint project, anew $15 million state-of-the-art, multi-tenant cargo facility.

Tomorrow and beyondThe future of Halifax Stanfield willlikely see continued improvement.Plans are now underway for the phaseddevelopment of commercial, revenue-generating lots on airport propertybetween the Terminal Building andHighway 102.

Other plans will involve TerminalBuilding expansion of the domestic/

international check-in hall, which willcreate a higher volume, more efficientcheck-in process. Development of theTerminal Building at the north end isalso intended, in anticipation of addi-tional flights from European Unionnations under Canada’s liberalized airaccess agreement with them.

The coming years will also see addi-tional U.S. preclearance flights, expan-sion of the south end of the building toaccommodate additional jet bridges,and expansion of post-security, retail/food & beverage locations.

“These improvements are required tomeet the needs of our current and fu-ture passengers and visitors,” says HIAApresident & CEO, Tom Ruth.

“They will allow us to compete effec-

tively for new business anticipated fromCanada’s Blue Sky initiative with theEuropean Union, and to adapt to thelong-term needs of our airline partners.”

Gateway to the worldcontinued from / G3


In looking back at the history of HalifaxStanfield, there is perhaps no betterway to learn about it than to hear itstraight from someone who was there.

And, of the thousands of dedicatedemployees who’ve worked at the air-port over the last half century, there isprobably no one more qualified to tellthe story than Bernie Miller, formerchair and CEO of the Halifax Interna-tional Airport Authority (HIAA), and along time Air Canada employee.

When Halifax Stanfield first openedin 1960, Miller was a passenger agentfor Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA), whichwe know today as Air Canada. Fromthe very beginning, he says, HalifaxStanfield was a state-of-the-art airport.

“The first time I saw it in August,1960 it was as beautiful and functionalas any airport in Canada,” recalls Miller.“The terminal building was similar tothose already built in Montreal andOttawa, long and sweeping, faced inroyal blue and silver, with a controltower rising in the middle of the build-ing. It stood on the same site as today’sterminal building and indeed it is stillthere, although scarcely recognizable,among all of the modifications andadditions that have occurred over theyears.”

He remembers that the siding wascomposed of royal blue plasticizedpanels and it had an aluminum metallictrim, which together made it look quitebeautiful, especially when viewed fromthe roadside where the parking facil-ities are today.

After many years of airline oper-ations from a converted wartime hut atShearwater, says Miller, the new airportprovided a vastly improved environ-ment for TCA passengers, staff andvisitors, who could observe the rampand airfield from a second level obser-vation deck equipped with coin oper-ated telescopes. He says the communitywas certainly proud of their new airportin those days, as it is today.

In the 1980s Miller went on to be-come vice president of Air Canada’sAtlantic Canadian operations. His rolewith the Airport Authority began in1995. Miller headed the HIAA during thefirst years after it took over manage-ment of the airport from TransportCanada in 2000. Prior to this he wasalso HIAA’s chief negotiator in thetransfer.

“I take a great deal of satisfaction inthe deal that our board of directorsnegotiated, as well as in the determina-tion the board showed in standing upfor Halifax and insisting on a fair deal,”says Miller.

“The transfer agreement proved to beas good as we had hoped, if not better,and the Airport Authority has pro-gressed accordingly,” he says. “Thenegotiations were extremely difficultand frustrating, but in the end produceda workable arrangement that has al-lowed HIAA to bring the airport up todate and to add the many facilities itneeds to carry out its mission.”

When asked about memorable eventsover the last 50 years Miller says theairport community’s performance onSeptember 11, 2001 immediately comesto mind.

“On a sunny, late summer morning,”he recalls, “suddenly and without warn-ing, more than 40 wide-body aircraftcarrying about 10,000 people began toappear overhead in Halifax (photo at

right shows dozens of planes on closed

runway Sept. 11, 2001), as the world,stunned in horror, was confronted withthe use of aircraft as weapons of massdestruction and the possibility thatamong the overhead aircraft may bemore assassins.”

He remembers how the airport man-agement triggered their well-rehearsedemergency plans and quickly were ableto develop a strategy for accommodat-ing the massive convergence upon YHZ(Halifax’s three-letter airport desig-nator) by shutting down one runwayand using it for parking. Once on theground, he says, the passengers had tobe held on board until security could besatisfied that no terrorists were amongthe arriving throng.

Meanwhile, he says, the thousands ofconfused travellers still on board need-ed their aircraft serviced, food to eat,toilet waste removed, and medicalassistance provided as they sat onboard for almost 10 hours before theycould be de-planed.

“The airport responded magnificentlyas did the whole Halifax EmergencyMeasures organization and its associ-ated organizations such as the RedCross,” says Miller. “Although onlyexpecting to be delayed a few hours,the last of the stranded planes left overa week later. In the meantime, all thepassengers were accommodated, fed,consoled and entertained by the localcommunity, to great praise and acco-lades, as the stranded passengers even-tually left. It was a truly amazing per-formance which tested us as no airporthad ever been tested before. The air-port did not panic and performed bril-liantly throughout.”

Another highpoint, says Miller, wasthe Airport Authority’s long fight tosecure U.S. preclearance, an effort

which met with much resistance fromthe Bangor, Maine Airport and thestate’s senators. He says the difficultbattle was worth it in the end.

“The agreement was a major stepforward for Halifax and indeed thewhole Atlantic Canada region,” saysMiller. “U.S. preclearance provides easyaccess to U.S. customs before leavingHalifax and, in addition to shorteningtravel times and reducing costs, itopens up many more U.S. destinationsfor direct flights from Halifax. Mostimportantly, it has opened up Halifax tomajor U.S. airline companies, many ofwhom have now established a presencein Halifax, with more to come. In thelong run this redirection of traffic di-rectly from Halifax to U.S. destinationsmay be the most important improve-ment of them all.”

Former CEO, Bernie Miller, reflects on airport’s proud history


Knowing where you want to go is onething, but actually getting there can bequite another thing altogether.

The vision of the Halifax InternationalAirport Authority (HIAA) is “Greatpeople delivering the best airportexperience in the world,” an aspirationthat the organization is consistentlymaking a reality, year after year.

One need not look far afield for proofof it either. Halifax Stanfield Internation-al Airport has been ranked the world’sbest airport for overall passenger satis-faction in its class (under five millionpassengers) for the seventh straightyear.

In 2010 Halifax Stanfield was alsonamed by passengers as the second bestairport in North America, regardless ofsize, behind Austin, Texas.

The awards reflect the 2009 AirportService Quality (ASQ) ratings, based onpassenger surveys, which are releasedannually by Airports Council Interna-tional (ACI), headquartered in Geneva,

Switzerland. ACI is the principal tradeassociation of the world’s airport indus-try. Research firm DKMA of Geneva,Switzerland manages the survey forACI.

“We’re setting the standard for theworld,” says HIAA president & CEO,Tom Ruth. “Every day our partners andemployees alike, directly and indirectly,interact with thousands of people. Byembracing our vision and using it as ourmeasure of success, we’re creating a

new kind of airport experience, onethat’s less stressful and more comfort-able for all passengers and guests, andis bringing the pleasure back to airtravel.”

Halifax Stanfield’s scores have stead-ily improved from 3.61 out of a possible5.00 in 2002 to 4.39 in 2009. The surveymeasures 34 separate elements of pas-senger airport experience and how welleach element satisfies passenger expec-tations. Categories include: parking,value for dollar, courtesy and help-fulness of staff, cleanliness, etc.

In its eight years of participating inthe global airport ranking program,Halifax Stanfield has earned a total of 25awards: 16 first place, seven secondplace, and two third place.

Setting the standardfor world’s airports

See PRIDE OF PURPOSE / G7

Although the history of Halifax Robert L.Stanfield International Airport is the storyof the region’s principal transportationlink, in many ways it is also an account ofsome of the most significant events in therecent history of Halifax and the sur-rounding community.

Kim Simon has worked at the airportfor 24 years. She’s been employed by threedifferent retailers and is currently thegeneral manager for Hudson Group,which operates 10 retail stores in theairport.

“I’ve had many memorable experiencesworking here,” recalls Simon. “One thingthat everyone who works here wouldagree is that we are a community. Therehave been so many friendships made andsuch great community spirit built here inthis building, it’s incredible. Once youwork in this environment it’s almost im-possible to even think of working any-where else. I’m sure that’s why there areso many of us who are still working hereafter 20 or 30 or more years.”

Simon fondly recalls the visits of vari-ous celebrities and dignitaries who havepassed through Halifax Stanfield en routeto Halifax and other parts of Nova Scotiaand the Maritimes. She’s been there forthe visits of Prime Minister Harper, Con-doleezza Rice, Sidney Crosby, and count-less sports stars, musicians and actors.

“I’ve met and seen lots of amazingpeople here, it’s been wonderful,” shesays. “I’ve met at least three Nova ScotiaPremiers over the years, I saw the Con-corde land twice and also Air Force One;we’ve had the Juno Awards, IIHF WorldHockey Championships, the World JuniorIce Hockey Championships, the hugesummer concerts that have come to Hali-fax, and all of these folks have had to passthrough our airport on their way in andout. It’s cause for lots of excitement andthe revenue that we see from these eventsis a great benefit to our airport.”

The two most memorable times, saysSimon, were when the airport communitycame together after the sad events of theSwissair tragedy in 1998 and the Septem-ber 11 attacks in 2001. She says many ofthe families who lost loved ones on Swis-sair Flight 111 were customers in theairport’s retail stores and the salespeopleshared stories with them and providedthem with many newspapers that theywanted to take back home.

“Many of us cried with them,” saysSimon, “as they read articles in the paperwhile in our stores about their familymembers, themselves, and the wonderfulgenerosity that Nova Scotians showedthem.”

On September 11, 2001, says Simon,people working in the airport that daycould only stare up to the sky and watchairplane after airplane land on the run-ways, as once again the airport communi-ty helped out where ever they could.

“The next day coming to work is hard

to explain,” says Simon. “When you workat an airport every day there’s alwaysnoise in the background, the sound ofairplanes coming and going and revvingup on the runways, but that day there wasnothing but silence. It was so strange.That day there was no one in the airportbut employees. We looked out the win-dows and saw planes everywhere parkedon the runways, something you wouldexpect never to see.”

Then, two days later, she says, thesilence was gone and the airport was fullof people as the skies opened up.

“We operated our stores for three daysstraight for 24 hours, and no one minded,”she recalls. “Staff came to work withoutbeing asked. Everyone wanted to be thereto help these people get on their way. Iwas never so proud of my staff as I wasduring this time.”

Simon also remembers the events ofHurricane Juan in September 2003 and the“white Juan” snowstorm of February 2004.

“When Hurricane Juan came through,”she says, “the airport was the only placewith power. To see people come from allover just to go to Tim Hortons was anexperience — they lined up from the Tim’scounter all the way to the check in coun-ters for coffee.”

For white Juan, she says, six of her staffmembers were storm stuck at the airport.

“These team members were amazing,”says Simon. “They couldn’t leave, but theyprovided service to the passengers whowere stranded along with them. To makethem more comfortable they even movedairport benches into one of our stores andput on movies on our in-store TV to helppass the time.”

Kim Simon reflects on 24 years at airport


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We’ve all been there. You’re atan airport, you’re excited aboutyour trip, but overwhelmed bythe process. There’s parking,checking in, going throughsecurity, finding your gate, andfinal boarding.

Hordes of strangers are dart-ing by you in all directions,announcements are going offlike machine gun fire, and youdon’t have a clue where you areor where to go next.

“Let’s face it, air travel can bestressful sometimes,” says KellyMartin, customer relationsmanager for the Halifax In-ternational Airport Authority(HIAA). “Flight delays, missedconnections, or heavy traffic onthe way to the airport can makeeven the most seasoned trav-eller a little anxious. However, ifyou can put a smile on some-one’s face, it changes the wholeexperience.”

Putting smiles on peoples’faces is exactly what the Volun-teer Host Program at HalifaxStanfield International Airport

has been doing for going on adecade now. The program wasdesigned to enhance the overallairport experience for everyoneusing the facility.

The volunteer hosts’ primaryrole is to help create a positivefirst impression on visitors andlocal customers. They alsofacilitate travel through theairport. They provide informa-tion and directions regardingfacilities, services and retailstores; meet and greet visitors;and give extra help to people

with special needs. The Tartan Team — so called

because of their distinctiveNova Scotia tartan vests — haslogged over 200,000 hours ofservice to the airport. Since itsinception in October, 2000 theprogram has grown from 23volunteers working one morn-ing shift each day to 110 volun-teers working three shifts a day.

“Ten years ago we recognizedthat more face to face contact

Volunteer host program creating positive first impression

See VOLUNTEERISM / G8

A key to earning the recog-nition, says Ruth, has been thecompletion of the groundsideredevelopment program,which has transformed thepublic face of the airport.

Every element of the newfacility, he says, from thedesign and features of theparkade to the flow of pas-sengers through the spacious,bright terminal building, hasbeen designed to enhancevisitor convenience, comfort,and ease.

While infrastructure up-grades have been crucial,Ruth says the real secret tothe airport’s success is itspeople. From the moment youstep into the building to thetime you reach your gate, hepoints out, you’re met byfriendly, courteous people,each one willing to answer aquestion or lend a hand.

“Our people make all thedifference,” he says. “Winningthese awards is a remarkableachievement and a testament

to the combined efforts ofeveryone here at HalifaxStanfield. It’s amazing whatcan be accomplished when allof our many partners — air-lines, retailers, and serviceproviders — as well as ourown HIAA employees and ourwonderful volunteer hosts,dedicate themselves to pro-viding the very best airportexperience they can.”

In 2009, 140 global airportsparticipated in the rigoroussurvey, including such world-renowned airports as Am-sterdam Schiphol, Beijing,Dallas, Denver, Dubai, HongKong, and London Heathrow.Participating Canadian air-ports include Calgary, Ed-monton, Montreal, Ottawa,Quebec City, Toronto, Vancou-ver, and Winnipeg.

“Year after year, the ACIawards reflect the genuinepride of purpose shared byeveryone, in every role, acrossthe entire airport community,”says Ruth. “It’s a pride built ona foundation of ongoing train-ing, feedback, motivation andrecognition for exceptionalservice.”

Pride of purposecontinued from / G6


“CIBC For what matters.” is a TM of CIBC.

A Celebrationof Excellence

As Atlantic Canada’s gateway to the world,Halifax Stanfield International Airport is aninternationally recognized leader in customerservice and a powerful economic driver for theregion.

CIBC is proud to congratulate Halifax StanfieldInternational Airport on 50 years of service toAtlantic Canada.

Halifax Stanfield has come a long waysince 1960. Today it serves nearly 3.4million passengers every year.

While few people would deny that it’sthe community’s most vital transporta-tion link, what people may not know isthat Halifax Stanfield — which contrib-utes $1.27 billion to the local economy— is one of the region’s most importanteconomic enterprises.

The airport community represents adiversified economic base. It encom-passes airlines, air freight firms, theHalifax International Airport Authority(HIAA), retailers, restaurants, and othercompanies supporting the air trans-portation industry.

“It’s bigger than most people realize,”says HIAA president & CEO, Tom Ruth.“Halifax Stanfield is a major economic,fiscal and employment generator forHalifax and Nova Scotia. When you lookat the cumulative effect that airportfirms have on the economy, it’s similarto that of a small town.”

The airport punches way above itsweight, Ruth says, especially when youconsider that it’s run by the AirportAuthority as a business and without anygovernment subsidies. Most cities thesize of Halifax do not have an airport asbig as Halifax Stanfield, Ruth points out.

He says Halifax serves several timesthe volume of air travellers of largercities like London, Ontario, Quebec City,and Victoria, BC.

“Halifax Stanfield’s impact reaches farbeyond the airport itself,” says Ruth. “Asit succeeds, it creates opportunities that

benefit the entire Atlantic region.”A 2008 economic impact study re-

vealed that direct employment createdby the airport was 5,490 full-time equiv-alent (FTE) jobs, with IMP Group, AirCanada, and Air Canada Jazz employing2,351 FTE staff or over 50 per cent ofthe airport’s direct employment.

The airport’s total fiscal impact in-cluding retail sales tax (HST) and in-come tax is $76 million.

This includes contributions fromairport community employees, whoalone pay $55 million in personal in-come tax and spend $21 million in retailsales tax.

The study, conducted by Chris LoweGroup Planning and Management, alsonotes that since operational transfer ofthe airport from the federal governmentin February 2000, HIAA and airporttenants have contributed over $340million in renovation and new construc-tion impacts, generating some 6,610full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs and $215

million in wages and salaries. These projects represent over 70 per

cent of airport-related capital improve-ments in Atlantic Canada.

“Air travellers are a critical compo-nent of the province’s tourism industry,”says Ruth. “Visitors by air representabout 33 per cent of all tourists to NovaScotia, and they stay longer and spendmore than tourists who arrive by othermodes of travel. In 2008, they generatedover $725 million in revenue or almost55 per cent of the province’s $1.27 bil-lion total tourism revenue.”

Since the year 2000, HIAA has spentabout $400 million on airport improve-ments. In 2009 the Airport Authoritycompleted a $45 million, 2,300 spaceparkade, and since then has spent afurther $150 million on other upgrades,including improvements to the main andsecond floor levels of the terminal build-ing.

In 2010 HIAA completed developmentof a $27 million combined servicesmaintenance facility as well as its por-tion of a joint project, a new $15 millionstate-of-the-art, multi-tenant cargo facil-ity.

“Halifax Stanfield is a powerful assetto Halifax, to the province and, indeed,to Atlantic Canada,” says Ruth.

“When you consider our state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, growinginternational passenger and cargo con-nections, and features like U.S. preclea-rance and the new multi-tenant cargofacility, it’s clear that Halifax Stanfield isthe region’s air gateway to the world.”

Airport powerful economic asset to provincewas needed,” says Martin. “You canhave all the signs you want, but nothingbeats friendly, approachable people whoare willing to go out of their way forsomeone.”

Most of the volunteers have vastexperience in volunteerism and theycome from a wide variety of back-grounds and age groups. They’ve allcompleted the Tourism Industry Associ-ation of Nova Scotia (TIANS) SuperhostProgram.

Martin says the Tartan Team is theheart and soul of the airport’s customerservice and the program has played amajor role in helping the airport achieveworld’s best in overall passenger satis-faction in its class for seven straightyears.

She says the outstanding service thatthe airport provided during crises likeSeptember 11 and the close of ZoomAirlines in 2008 simply could not havehappened without the volunteers.

In those emergencies, she says, manyTartan Team members went above andbeyond the call of duty with efforts suchas taking stranded visitors into theirhomes.

The volunteers are always preparedto help people in emergencies and forthat reason keep on hand supplies suchas diapers, baby food, and other neces-sities.

“A bottle of water and a blanket cango a long way when you’re stressed,”says Martin. “Our volunteers look forpeople who have that quizzical look ontheir face and they go over and try tohelp them. It’s those first impressions ofan airport that are the most important.”

The Tartan Team has been well re-ceived. Feedback about the programfrom passenger surveys has been in-strumental in helping Halifax Stanfieldearn a total of 25 ACI awards in the lasteight years. The volunteer hosts alsoroutinely earn kudos from airport staffand tenants in Halifax Stanfield’s in-ternal recognition program.

The airport has not had to recruit anyvolunteer hosts for 10 years. They’rerecommended by word of mouth priorto screening and criminal backgroundchecks. Martin says there’s a long wait-ing list to become a volunteer, as manylocals are more than willing to step up.

“Maritimers are known for their hos-pitality,” says Martin. “I think it’s ourstrong family ethic.

We tend to look after one another. Ifsomeone’s in need we can’t turn ourback — we have to do what we can tohelp.”

Volunteerismcontinued from / G7


Happy 50th Anniversary, Halifax Stanfi eld International Airport.

Since the Halifax International AirportAuthority (HIAA) took over operationof the airport from Transport Canada in2000, it has spent $400 million on up-grades to airport facilities and infra-structure.

Here is a look at some of the majorprojects to date:

•In 2010 completed development of a$27-million combined services complex.This facility houses the airport’s emer-gency response services and airfieldmaintenance teams.

•In August 2010 began work on thisyear’s portion of a multi-year AirfieldRestoration Program. This is the sixthyear of the program and will focus onthree of the airport’s taxiways. Totalfunding for the 2010 program is $7million. The work is vital to maintainingthe integrity and operation of thesetaxiways that have reached the end oftheir lifecycle, and the improvementswill help improve safety and reliability.

•Developed site infrastructure, in-cluding construction of a parkingapron, to support a new $15-millionstate-of-the-art, multi-tenant cargofacility. The Airport Authority partneredwith Gateway Facilities Inc., who con-structed the 40,000-square-foot facility,which is also the new home for theairport operations of anchor tenant,FedEx.

•In March 2009 opened a new,2,300-space, five-storey parkade worth$45 million, featuring an enclosed over-road pedway with Nova Scotia’s firstand only moving sidewalks.

•Expanded the International Arrivals

area, which provides internationalvisitors with a stunning entry into Cana-da and Nova Scotia.

•Made capital improvements to themain and second floor levels of theterminal building, including a direct linkfrom the new pedway to U.S. preclea-rance check-in.

•Modified the Terminal Building toaccommodate the new pedway. Alsoadded four new escalators, two eleva-

tors, and a two-storey glass curtain wall.•Built separate upper and lower

roads for picking up and dropping offpassengers, doubling the capacity fortraffic in front of the terminal.

•Made separate curbs on the upperroad for US-bound passengers andground transportation services.

•Installed glass canopies over thepick-up and drop-off areas.

•Constructed a state of-the-art water

treatment facility and an airside sub-division.

•Expanded the domestic arrivals andpublic parking areas.

•Completed the public observationFlight Deck.

•Created Airport Square, a majorexpansion of the retail space and mainlobby.

•Opened a south end commuteraircraft facility.

$400 millionin upgradessince 2000


Gateway FacilitiesGateway FacilitiesCongratulates the HIAA onCongratulates the HIAA on

50 Successful Years!50 Successful Years!

We look forward to many more yearsWe look forward to many more yearsof working together in cargo services.of working together in cargo services.

Contact: 873-3627

In trying to picture what Halifax Stan-field International Airport will look likein the years ahead, it would be safe toassume that the award-winning facilitywill continue to improve its facilitiesand enhance its services even further.

The Halifax International AirportAuthority (HIAA) says that while moreupgrades are certainly in the works, thevision for the YHZ of tomorrow is acompletely new kind of airport altogeth-er.

“Our goal,” says HIAA’s Peter Spur-way, “is that when people turn off High-way 102 at exit 6 their blood pressureactually goes down. We want to lowerpeoples’ stress level and bring the plea-sure back to air travel.”

The airport has already begun theprocess, he says, by creating bettersignage for passengers, offering MAC-PASS payment options for parking, andproviding timely airport updatesthrough its new Web site and via pop-ular social networking sites Facebookand Twitter. And, WiFi services areprovided free of charge throughout theterminal building.

Plans are also underway, says Spur-way, for the phased development ofcommercial, revenue-generating lots onairport property between the TerminalBuilding and Highway 102. He says thedevelopment of this area will both lit-erally and figuratively strengthen thelink between Halifax Stanfield and thesurrounding region.

“There’s a huge area of land betweenthe terminal building and Highway 102that we have yet to develop,” he says. “Itrepresents an enormous opportunity forus and the surrounding community.”

Spurway describes the developmentas an airport city. He says it could be acommunity business centre with amen-ities like an office complex, large retail

store, medical facility, and hotel. Thecentre, he says, would be an economicstimulus and a benefit to the local busi-ness community.

“Our vision for Halifax Stanfield is tomake it more than a place where trav-ellers come and go,” says Spurway.“What we have in mind is to make it thefocal point of community activity andcommunity pride. We want it to be adestination in and of itself.”

The Airport Authority’s focus onbusiness development, begun in Febru-ary 2000 when it took over managementof the airport from Transport Canada,will continue to lead the airport in theyears ahead, says Spurway.

“This is not your grandfather’s airportanymore,” he says. “Our conversion to acommercial model has not been fullyappreciated. We are self sufficient andreceive no government funding.

Our whole mindset is different — weneed to enter mutually beneficial busi-ness arrangements.”

Airport Authority president and CEO,Tom Ruth, says the future of HalifaxStanfield will be the continued improve-ment of “the community’s airport.”

He says HIAA will develop a strongerrelationship with the region and throughthe airport give visitors a sense of beingsomewhere important.

He says the airport will continue toportray the capital city and province asa dynamic, technologically advancedplace to do business as well as a greatplace to live and vacation.

“The first 50 years of the airport is anachievement that the community cancelebrate together,” says Ruth.

“Halifax Stanfield is a magnet fordomestic and international travel and itimproves our economy and our way oflife.”

Strong focus on business development

In the air travel industry, it all comesdown to efficiency. It’s all about whereyou are in relation to what’s importantand how quickly you can get there.

“It’s our geographical location thatsets us apart,” says Jerry Staples, HIAAvice president marketing and businessdevelopment. He says our position inthe North Atlantic is very attractive tooverseas flights, as they can save fuel bylanding here as opposed to going furthersouth and west.

Our desirable location, he says, is akey reason why Halifax Stanfield isbenefiting from its many new and futureplanned services. These include ourover 40 air destinations and existingU.S. preclearance, as well as the newlycompleted multi-tenant cargo facility.

Staples says our location will also becrucial in the anticipation of additionalflights from European Union nationsunder Canada’s “Blue Sky” initiative,which will see a more liberalized airaccess agreement.

“We’re seeing a 50 per cent uplift incargo shipments,” says Staples. “Beforewe had our new facility, half of ourcargo was driven to Boston and shippedfrom there. Now we can fly it directlyfrom Halifax to Europe. This is savingmoney now and it will open the door for

tremendous economic growth for theregion’s cargo industry, as well as avia-tion businesses.”

Opened in June 2010, the $15 millioncargo facility is 40,000 square feet, 7,000of which is refrigerated space.

Staples says it will better positioncargo stakeholders to attract domesticand foreign cargo operators to ourcommunity and will allow stakeholdersto confidently pursue new import andexport business that requires temper-ature management.

Each cargo shipment of lobster, hepoints out, represents upwards of$500,000 of export value. He says thatwith the new cargo service we can shipseafood to Europe when it’s just 12hours out of the water.

Airport benefitting from many new services

See WORLD-CLASS SERVICES / G11


CONGRATULATIONSCONGRATULATIONSON 50 AMAZING YEARS!ON 50 AMAZING YEARS!

We are proud to be a part of past, present and future projects at the

Halifax Stanfi eld International Airport.

Naturally, the first thing that comes tomind about an airport is airplanes andpassengers. After all, its core business isair travel. For Halifax Stanfield, though —the region’s principal full-service airportand a top economic driver in the Mar-itimes — business means more than justfilling seats in an aircraft.

“It’s about relationships,” says PeterSpurway of the Halifax InternationalAirport Authority (HIAA), which runs thefacility’s day-to-day operations.

“A key role of ours is to manage therelationships that we have with our ten-ants,” he says. “We see them as partners.We don’t try to run their business — it’s apartnership relationship.”

The airport authority took over man-agement of Halifax Stanfield from Trans-port Canada in February 2000, when thefederal government agency relinquishedits role of operator in favour of a moreappropriate function as landlord andregulator. The transfer allowed the airportto become self sufficient and continue toprovide the world class service for whichit has become internationally known.

The business community that makes upHalifax Stanfield generates over $1.27billion annually to the provincial econo-my. Its partners include the almost 5,500airline, security, customs, retail, front-line,transportation, and food and beveragepersonnel who work alongside the Air-port Authority’s own 180 employees and110 volunteers. Its partners also includeaviation operators such as IMP Group andJazz Air.

“IMP is one of our most importanttenants,” says Spurway. “They’re a majorcontributor to the airport’s diversifiedeconomic base.”

Headquartered in Halifax, IMP employs3,500 people internationally and operates

in sectors as diverse as aerospace, avia-tion, airline, healthcare, industrial marine,information technology, hospitality, andproperty development. The company alsoowns CanJet Airlines, another airportpartner.

Collectively, IMP Group and airportpartners Air Canada and Jazz Air repre-sent over half of the airport’s direct em-ployment.

“Halifax Stanfield is a great place forretailers to do business because ourrelationship is a true partnership,” saysKim Simon of the Hudson Group. “We’re acommunity; we’re all friends and neigh-bours. The concession tenants all worktogether and we have the same goal: tooffer the best customer service to thepassengers and visitors of Halifax Stan-field.”

Simon was first employed at the airport24 years ago as a part-time cashier. Shehas worked at Halifax Stanfield for threedifferent retailers and is currently thegeneral manager for Hudson, which oper-ates 10 retail stores within the airport.

Hudson is a wholly-owned subsidiaryof international duty-free travel retailerDufry AG of Basel Switzerland. Hudsonoperates more than 580 newsstands,bookstores, cafes and premier specialtyretail shops in 70 airports and trans-

portation terminals in Canada and the US.At Halifax Stanfield Hudson operates

five newsstands and five speciality storesand employs 45 full time and 23 part timeretail sales people.

“Hudson Group is proud to be a busi-ness partner and a tenant of Halifax Stan-field,” says Simon.

“This airport was our first Canadianoperation and it’s where we introducedthe Hudson News Stand to Canada. Be-cause of its continued recognition as oneof the best airports in the world for cus-tomer service, we’re proud to be associ-ated with Halifax Stanfield.”

Jazz Air is also benefiting from itslocation at Halifax Stanfield, where it haschosen to locate its home base. Jazz’shead office is 310 Goudey Drive, adjacentto Halifax Stanfield.

While the company’s decision to locatehere had more to do with economics thanthe airport’s positive attributes, Jazz’sManon Stuart says the U.S. customs pre-clearance and the many improvementsmade to the terminal building in recentyears have greatly enhanced the status ofHalifax Stanfield as the hub airport forAtlantic Canada.

“Halifax is an important part of ourNorth American network,” says Stuart.“Our Halifax team consists of approxi-

mately 700 airline professionals whostrive to provide all passengers with apositive travel experience.”

Jazz and one of its predecessor airlines,Air Nova, have had a presence at HalifaxStanfield since July 1986. A major high-light for the airline was the completion ofthe office complex in May 1994, adjacentto its existing hangar, which brought itsHalifax-based employees together underone roof.

Jazz is Canada’s largest regional airlineand the second largest in the country. Theairline serves more domestic destinationsand has more flights within Canada thanany other carrier. It’s the only one servingall Canadian provinces and territories.Jazz operates over 800 flights every day to84 destinations in North America, with 57in Canada and 27 in the U.S. Last yearJazz carried 8.8 million passengers.

The company employs over 4,900 peo-ple and operates a fleet of 128 aircraftcomprised of Bombardier’s Dash 8s andregional jets.

“All tenants at Halifax Stanfield sharein their desire to provide customers witha positive airport experience,” saysStuart. “Their collective efforts havegreatly contributed to the airport’s rank-ing among the best in the world for over-all passenger satisfaction.”

A community of partners makes Halifax Stanfield a world-class operation

“One of our key exports is lobster, butit’s perishable,” says Staples. “Before,we’d have product on the ramp at atemperature of 25 or 30 degrees. Nowwe’ve got a state-of-the-art facility that’sclimate controlled. It’s the biggest andbest north of Miami.”

Halifax Stanfield will also benefitfrom the air liberalization agreementswith European nations, says Staples. Hesays routes from Helsinki to Halifax toLas Vegas will soon be a reality.

These services, he says, will providepassengers with fewer stops to andfrom Europe and will also give Halifaxmore non-stop destinations in directionseast and west.

U.S. preclearance, he says, is alreadymaking Halifax more attractive and will

continue to bring more passenger busi-ness.

“We’re the only airport in AtlanticCanada to offer U.S. preclearance,” saysStaples. “Before this, people throughoutour region had to fly two and a halfhours west to Montreal or Toronto. Nowthey can come through our airport,which is much more efficient andfriendly, and there’s no waiting in longline ups. We even have a direct linkfrom our new pedway to the U.S. pre-clearance check-in.”

Staples says the Airport Authority istaking great efforts to market the manyadvantages of Halifax Stanfield’s airservices.

“Our air service is very strong,” saysStaples, “both in leisure and business tobusiness. We have a lot in common withVancouver as the air gateway on theEast Coast. We’re getting the word outthat we’re open for business.”

World-class servicescontinued from / G10


www.mmm.caFor further info or to contact any of our offices visit:

COMMUNITIES

TRANSPORTATION

BUILDINGS

INFRASTRUCTURE

► Terminal Frontage Road Redevelopment(Arrival and Departure Curbs)

► Parking Garage

► Elevated Pedestrian Bridge

► Air Terminal Building Modifications

► Multi-Tenant Cargo Facility

► Combined Services Complex

► Security, Network and CUTE Upgrade Programme

► Converged IT Network

► Domestic Terminal Expansion

► US PreClearance

► Airside Commercial Subdivision

Proudly partnering with the Halifax International Airport Authority on theAirport’s development since 1998

50 spectacular years and STILL GROWING STRONG!

CONGRATULATIONSHalifax Stanfield International Airport

halifax stanfield international airport - the chronicle ......robert l. stanfield. then, on february...

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