The Red Deer Airport AGM announced exciting new projects that will be in development in the coming couple of years that will affect a number of Central Albertans. In the near future, we might not only be seeing passenger flights return to Red Deer but see them return in greater numbers than before as well as a solar power project that will be placed alongside the runways.

“We’ve been working on this for almost a year now in looking for opportunities for development. Our objective as I’ve indicated is to become more self-sustaining and create new economic prosperity,” said Ben Antifaiff, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Red Deer Airport.

The creation of a bigger more publicly accessible airport is believed to increase the growth of the city and its economy by physically bringing in more and new people, events and opportunities to the Central Alberta area.

“There’s been quite a bit of work that has been studied about airports and the economic development that an airport can create in a region and its just time for it to happen like why hasn’t it happened already. That’s why we’re trying to move that forward,” said Antifaiff.

At the AGM it was announced that the airport has partnered with the Rice Group to develop the land and prepare the land for passenger flights and lift off. The Rice Group will not be expanding the existing terminal but either renovating an existing building on their airport’s property or a new building will be considered.

“What the Rice Group can bring to us is strong development experience and they also have experience working in the aviation industry and have done land development for a number of airports around the country,” explained Antifaiff.

As an experienced development business, Michael Rice President and CEO of Rice Group believes that Red Deer even has some advantages over the Calgary and Edmonton airports.

“It’s strategically located. Currently, it may not be forever, but currently, it’s not as busy as Edmonton or Calgary—that could change. I think that’s a factor. There’s cost factor especially when it comes to cargo and lower cost operations there’s a cost factor for landing. Also, the development needs to happen when the demand is there.”

While some may wonder when Red Deer will see its own carrier, Antifaiff believes that for now, that’s not their greatest concern.

“We’re not focusing directly on an ultra-low-cost carrier. We’re focussing on scheduled passenger service…” he continued, “Right now we can’t de-plane an aircraft and we have no capability of doing that and we need that capability.”

Antifaiff confirmed that air service is not so far off in the future and anticipates that it will become available to Central Albertans within the next eighteen months. However, it may be a little bit longer before we see solar panels alongside the runway.

“Ideally, if we can find an off-taker to buy the power, we will build the project hopefully in the next couple years,” said Dave Carscadden, senior project developer at Saturn Power.

The solar project will not be small either, sitting just under Alberta’s largest solar power operation.

“It’s going to depend on some of the environmental permitting work but it could be anywhere from probably about six-megawatts up to about fourteen which is quite a good size. The largest solar project to date in Alberta is a seventeen-megawatt project.”

In any case, whether you’re flying, or having solar energy power your home, or simply just waiting for your favourite band to hit the Enmax Centrium the changes made to the Red Deer airport are sure to bring some new and exciting opportunities to Central Albertans.