One of the fastest-growing cities in the country will soon have an airport terminal that can handle the huge volume of traffic its oil wealth has created.
Fort McMurray’s former terminal was designed for 250,000 passengers a year, and last year 1.2 million passed through, many of them to and from work in the oil sands.
The new facility is designed for 1.5 million passengers a year and will offer retail and food facilities in the concourse. The facility cost $258 million and was a ground-up project rather than an expansion or renovation of an existing facility.
Expansion plans are already under way for the new terminal. More storage is required, and a new car rental facility is being built, along with a bigger parking lot.
The airport was to have opened on June 9.