It’s interesting, how things are now on a ‘parallel branch’ of the whole air transport universe, - the one that’s in charge of air cargo transportation.
And even at the first glance we could say that ‘there’s quite a lot of something’s going on’.
For example, last summer the news of the DHL would be merging with UPS stirred up a lot of attention in business circles all across the North America, and around the world.
Not so widely noticed, perhaps, was an announcement by the Canada’s Minister of Transport granting “the approval of the Prince George Airport to participate in the international air cargo transshipment program. The program allows air cargo to be moved through the airport for shipment to third countries, allowing it to seek new market opportunities and further develop its air cargo activity”.
As it seems, it must have been some remarkably bold business idea conceived, probably, by some locally or (sooner) nationally operating entrepreneurs, investors with interest, understanding, and vision of developments in the region, and an appeal of that idea had been strong enough to become an effective driving force in the real project, the intermediate results of which we’ve been already able to witness. They are: the granting of this approval, and, (this one would certainly be graded ‘as solid as concrete‘) - accomplishing of the airport’s RW’s 15-33 extension project. The RW, as if by ‘pure magic’, and remarkably fast, has been stretched to the impressive 11.450 feet! Now all the ‘Jumbo-Cargo-Jet Airways’ are welcome to the ‘Spruce Capital of the World’!
I’m eagerly looking forward for an opportunity to ‘update’ this picture on my Flickr account with a new one, taken from the same position, but showing the new, extended runway 
Among other ‘old news’ - the Calgary airport is about to get a third runway. “Soon, one day, in the near future”, as they say. And one of the ‘no-nonsense’ reasons explaining ‘why there’s a need for it’ is the steady increase in numbers of cargo traffic through the airport demonstrated in recent years.
Calgary airport, by the way, was granted the same authority ‘to participate in the international air cargo transshipment program’ in 2007.
And I’m inclined to continue reviewing the topic in some of the next posts.
March 30th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
How does the announcement you noted for PG benefit Prince George?
March 30th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Hi, April,
it’s interesting, I don’t have much information, though, to make a sure statement ‘PG will benefit greatly’ from these developments. There’s always a great deal of entrepreneurial risk involved into each large project. You maybe heard a story of one ’shameful failure’ - which at the time the project of building a new Mirabel Airport had turned into.. By the way, Mirabel from the scratch had gotten the same status of ‘participant in the international cargo transshipment program’.
Success of the PG project - and subsequent prospect of benefit to the community (there might be a few, based on growth of business at the airport and around - “creating new working places”, “improving infrastructure”, etc., - generally speaking) - lays on a few factors, and one of them - ‘GOOD LUCK’, may I say so.
You maybe heard, there’s been a dramatic drop in numbers of world-wide air cargo transportation lately - ca. 22-23% for each - December 2008, and January 2009. It might turn to be as a ‘bad timing’ for PG to step into this operation right now, but you never know.. Apparently, air cargo companies all around the world are now eagerly looking for ways and methods to lower the operational cost, and it spells into a potential of GREAT OPPORTUNITY for PG, on the other hand. As a brand new operator it’ll be doing everything in order to attract a solid base of clients.. And it may offer a great cost advantage to a number of air cargo operators.. and then they’ll for sure flock together for the ‘Spruce Capital of the World’
If you have some ‘local PG knowledge’ - please, feel free to share it with us, and we’ll carry our discussion on.
Take care,
S