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The Edmonton International Airport expects to mark a major milestone before the end of this year — more people will be heading to the airport area to shop or work each day than to board flights.

That’s how much development around the flight centre has taken off.

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The land surrounding the airport is a steadily growing cluster of tourist attractions, shopping outlets, technology developers, manufacturing facilities and shipping services designed to drive a regional profit.

“It’s really like a city in the way that it’s developed,” said Myron Keehn, the airport’s vice-president of air service and commercial development.

Growth is driven by international demand for rapid, on-demand movement of stuff as well as a growing number of passengers, he said. That economy demands such rapid connections, Keehn calls it the “physical internet.”

Speaking just outside this “airport city,” Rob de Groot said the biggest advantage of moving his company, Red Cup Distillery, to the airport was in shipping costs. He used to be in Vegreville, and the move cut both distance and time.