Article content continued

“As a percentage of our total volume, we’re the busiest connecting airport in Canada,” Sartor said. “What that means is while the city might be having a hard time, people are still flying from Regina to Palm Springs or flying from Portland to Tokyo . . . To a certain extent, we have recession-proofed our airport.”

A new $2-billion international terminal, which opened in October 2016, has enabled airlines to route more connecting flights through Calgary, Sartor added. The terminal features a number of new technologies and processes aimed at streamlining connections — including enhanced procedures at customs and security, as well as the ability for passengers to transit through the airport to other destinations without picking up their bags or having to be re-screened.

A state-of-the-art runway — which opened in 2014 — opened more landing slots at YYC, Sartor added.

“We have been trying to make it very attractive for carriers to bring planes here,” Sartor said. “Connectivity is key to a city like ours.”

The airport authority says cargo operations grew last year, too, with 75 per cent of Alberta’s air cargo being processed through Calgary’s airport.

YYC is expecting another increase in traffic, in the range of one million additional passengers, in 2019. Up to half of that will be the direct result of WestJet’s Boeing 787 aircraft and Calgary hangar opening as the airline’s Dreamliner base. The airline will be launching direct flights to London (Gatwick airport), Paris and Dublin in 2019 with its Dreamliners, and also plans to launch a non-stop 737 flight from Calgary to Atlanta in March, as well as Austin and Portland routes in the spring.

Air Canada now includes direct flights to Palm Springs, Calif., while Aeromexico plans to return to YYC in May with seasonal service four times weekly to Mexico City.

“We are in a category where, in a few years, we will be considered a large North American airport,” Sartor said.

astephenson@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/AmandaMsteph