Vancouver International Airport

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Vancouver International Airport

IATA: YVR – ICAO: CYVR
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Transport Canada[1]
Operator Vancouver International Airport Authority
Serves Vancouver, British Columbia
Location Richmond, British Columbia
Elevation AMSL 14 ft / 4 m
Coordinates 49°11′38″N 123°11′04″W / 49.19389, -123.18444
Website www.yvr.ca
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
08L/26R 9,940 3,029 Concrete
08R/26L 11,500 3,505 Asphalt/Concrete
12/30 7,300 2,225 Asphalt/Concrete
26A 3,500 1,066 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft Movements 326,026
Number of Passengers 17,495,049
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[2]
Aircraft statistics from Transport Canada[3]
Passenger statistics from Vancouver Airport.[4]

Vancouver International Airport (IATA: YVR, ICAO: CYVR) is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about 15 kilometres from downtown Vancouver. It is the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements, behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to Asia, Europe, Oceania, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and other airports within Canada. The airport has won several notable international "best airport" awards, and it won the Skytrax "Best North American Airport" award in 2007.[5] YVR also retains the distinction of "Best Canadian Airport" in the regional results.[6] The airport is the second busiest Canadian airport with 17.5 million passengers[4] and 326,026 movements in 2007.[3] It is an Air Canada hub as well as a focus city for WestJet.

The Vancouver International Airport is one of nine Canadian Airports that have U.S. border preclearance facilities.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh refused to include Vancouver in his North American tour because of the lack of a proper airport. Two years later, the city purchased land on Sea Island for aviation purposes.[7]

[edit] Gateway

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Due to its proximity to Asia versus the rest of North America, YVR is used as a "gateway" between the two continents. It has more trans-Pacific flights than other cities on the West Coast of greater population, such as Seattle, however, both airports have seen an increase in trans-Pacific flights lately. This is partially due to cultural and historical ties as Vancouver has a very diverse population with a large Asian population.

[edit] Terminals

Interior of the domestic terminal's check-in area for Air Canada.
Interior of the domestic terminal's check-in area for Air Canada.
International arrivals hall
International arrivals hall
International departures hall.
International departures hall.
A Canadian Aboriginal wood sculpture, located on the first floor of the domestic terminal.
A Canadian Aboriginal wood sculpture, located on the first floor of the domestic terminal.
Construction of the Canada Line at Vancouver International.
Construction of the Canada Line at Vancouver International.

Vancouver International Airport has three terminals: The domestic terminal, which was constructed in 1968 and recently given a top-to-bottom renovation; the International Terminal, which was newly constructed in the mid to late 1990s, and the South Terminal, which is a portion of the original terminal that is still in use. The International and Domestic terminals can effectively be considered to be one building divided into two sections, while the South terminal is located in a remote part of the airport. The South Terminal serves regional airlines which fly mostly within British Columbia.

[edit] Cost

In May 2005, the federal government, which owns the land, announced it was cutting rent costs by 54%. The rent reductions will cut the cost of the lease by approximately $840 million CAD between 2006-2020, or $5.0 billion CAD over the term of the lease, which ends in 2052. Currently, the airport authority pays about $80 million CAD each year in rent.

Passengers traveling through YVR are no longer required to pay a separate Airport Improvement Fee; it now is included in the price of a ticket.

[edit] Architecture

Vancouver International Airport's interior has a uniquely B.C. theme, featuring one of the most extensive collections of North West Coast Native art in the world, and blues and greens to reflect the colours of the land, sea and sky. The airport uses a great deal of carpet and vast expanses of glass to let in large amounts of natural light. One of the most noticeable pieces in an arriving passenger's trip is the International arrivals hall, a large area where customs and immigration procedures are completed. Arriving passengers come down escalators leading to a platform across a large waterfall. The YVR aboriginal art collection includes wooden sculptures and totem poles. Bill Reid's sculpture in bronze, "The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, The Jade Canoe", is displayed in the international departures area.

[edit] Future expansion

By November 2009, in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Canada Line, a rapid transit line running from Richmond to the airport to downtown Vancouver, will be completed, for which Vancouver International Airport is contributing up to $300 million. The total cost of the project is $2 billion. A Link Building ($117 million, completion 2007) will be the docking area for users of the line and will link the international terminal with the domestic terminal. A nine-gate international terminal expansion will be done in two phases ($420 million; Phase 1 – 2007; Phase 2 – as soon as 2010). The first phase will see four new gates with two conventional wide-bodied gates and two able to accommodate the Airbus A380. The international terminal addition will have several examples of beauty in British Columbia, including a stream in a proposed pathway and fish and jellyfish tanks.

Vancouver International Airport Authority is currently developing a 2007-2027 Master Plan and Land Use Plan, a look forward 20 years to ensure YVR will be able to accommodate the passengers it expects. It is asking the community for input and toured local malls with an informational display to elicit feedback. The tour is complete, but the public can still provide feedback through the Master Plan section of the YVR website, where a copy of the draft Master Plan recommendations is also available.

[edit] Operation Yellow Ribbon

Main article: Operation Yellow Ribbon

The airport's reputation as a premier gateway airport between Asia and North America was made evident during Operation Yellow Ribbon on September 11, 2001. With U.S. airspace closed as a result of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, there was no choice for Vancouver International Airport but to take part in the operation since it was the only major Canadian airport on the west coast that has the capability of handling large aircraft for trans-Pacific flights. The airport handled 34 flights carrying 8,500 passengers—more passengers than any other Canadian airport involved in the operation.

The airport won the 2001 Airport Management Award from the B.C. Aviation Council[8] and was cited for overcoming many challenges in a professional and compassionate way.[9]

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Domestic terminal

Gates A1-A5, B11-B22, and C32-42, C50-C52

  • Air Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto-Pearson, Victoria, Winnipeg)
    • Air Canada Jazz (Calgary, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Edmonton, Fort St. John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Penticton, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Regina, Sandspit, Saskatoon, Smithers, Terrace, Victoria, Whitehorse, Yellowknife [seasonal])
  • Air North (Whitehorse)[10]
  • Central Mountain Air (Campbell River, Comox, Dawson Creek, Kamloops, Kelowna, Quesnel, Williams Lake)
  • Sunwing Airlines (Montréal, Toronto-Pearson)[11]
  • WestJet (Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Montréal, Ottawa, Prince George, Toronto-Pearson, Winnipeg)
Control Tower
Control Tower

[edit] International terminal

Philippine Airlines Airbus A340 approaching on Vancouver International Airport
Philippine Airlines Airbus A340 approaching on Vancouver International Airport

Gates D50-D78 and E67-E96 (Gates E67-E96 are for pre-clearance flights to the United States.)

  • airberlin[12]
    • Operated by LTU (Düsseldorf) [seasonal]
    • Operated by Belair (Zurich) [seasonal]
  • Air Canada (Anchorage [seasonal], Beijing, Cancun, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, New York-JFK, Osaka-Kansai [ends October 25], Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Sydney, Tokyo-Narita)
  • Air China (Beijing)
  • Air India (Amritsar, Delhi, Mumbai) [begins 2008] [13]
  • Air New Zealand (Auckland)
  • Air Pacific (Honolulu, Nadi)
  • Air Transat (Amsterdam, Cancun, Frankfurt, Glasgow-International(*), London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK)(*), Manzanillo, Montego Bay, Munich, Paris-Charles De Gaulle, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Varadero)
* = Seasonal Summer services to be transferred to Thomas Cook Airlines beginning Summer 2008
Vancouver International
Vancouver International

[edit] South terminal

  • Baxter Aviation (Nanaimo Harbour)
  • Harbour Air (Ganges Harbour, Montague Harbour, Miners Bay, Lyall Harbour, Bedwell Harbour, Victoria/Inner Harbour, Nanaimo Harbour)
  • Hawkair (Prince Rupert, Smithers, Terrace)
  • HeliJet (Victoria/Inner Harbour)
  • Howe Sound Seaplanes (Victoria)
  • Kelowna Flightcraft (Masset, Sandspit, Kelowna)
  • KD Air (Qualicum Beach)
  • Northern Thunderbird Air (Smithers, Mackenzie, Prince George)
  • Orca Airways (Qualicum Beach, Tofino, Victoria Airport)
  • Pacific Coastal Airlines (Anahim Lake, Calgary, Campbell River, Comox, Cranbrook, Kamloops, Penticton, Port Hardy, Powell River, Trail, Victoria (BC), Williams Lake)
  • Regency North Vancouver Air (Tofino)
  • Salt Spring Air (Ganges Harbour, Maple Bay)
  • Seair Seaplanes (Ganges Harbour, Montague Harbour, Miners Bay, Lyall Harbour, Port Washington, Telegraph Harbour, Nanaimo/Departure Bay)
  • Tofino Air (Silva Bay, Sechelt)
  • West Coast Air (Nanaimo, Sechelt, Victoria/Inner Harbour)

[edit] Cargo only carriers

[edit] FBOs

There are several fixed base operators that service aircraft at Vancouver International Airport:

[edit] Incidents

  • On October 19, 2007, at approximately 4:10pm, a Piper Seneca bound for Pitt Meadows took off from YVR and crashed into a nearby apartment building in Richmond, British Columbia. The pilot was the sole occupant of the plane. He was killed in the crash. Two others were injured, both of whom were in the apartment building at the time. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Airport Divestiture Status Report
  2. ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 10 April 2008 to 0901Z 5 June 2008
  3. ^ a b - Aircraft Movement Statistics: NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations: Annual Report 2007
  4. ^ a b Vancouver Passenger Statistics
  5. ^ 2007 Regional Airport Awards. Skytrax (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
  6. ^ 2006 Airport of the Year: Results. Skytrax (2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
  7. ^ The History of YVR
  8. ^ B.C. Aviation Council
  9. ^ . "2001 Annual Report" (PDF). . Vancouver International Airport Authority Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
  10. ^ Air North
  11. ^ Sunwing
  12. ^ Air Berlin
  13. ^ Fly to New York from Chandigarh
  14. ^ Air China to Add Flights to Toronto, Rome, 10 Cities
  15. ^ Jet hopes to expand European operations
  16. ^ Non-stop Delhi-Vancouver flights announced
  17. ^ Sunwing adds Las Vegas
  18. ^ Buenos Dias Mexico! WestJet Adds Scheduled Service to Mazatlan and San Jose del Cabo/Cabo San Lucas
  19. ^ Taser video shows RCMP shocked immigrant within 25 seconds of their arrival. CBC (2007-11-15). Retrieved on 2007-11-15.

[edit] External links

{{commonscat|Vancouver International Airport