Vancouver International Airport unveiled an ambitious new 20-year expansion plan Wednesday that includes a terminal expansion to accommodate an additional 10 million passengers.
It’s expected to cost $5.6 billion.
“It is our vision of the future to become a sustainable gateway between the Americas and Asia,” said Craig Richmond, president and chief executive officer of Vancouver Airport Authority.
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In 2016, Vancouver airport, which is Canada’s second busiest facility, welcomed a record high 22.3 million passengers, said a news release.
The airport is set to see an estimated 35 million passengers travel through YVR every year by 2037.
The number of flights, however, is not expected to increase, because the airport will see bigger planes.
“We have to build for it,” said Richmond. “And that summarizes it really, because if we don’t build for it, it will get too crowded and airlines will say ‘We don’t want to go there.'”
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The plan, which includes the construction of new taxiways and upgrading roads and bridges to Sea Island, will be finalized in 2018.
It will include input from the third phase of the YVR 2037 Master Plan consultation, which started Wednesday.
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The airport will host on open house on the plan on Feb. 8 at 5 p.m., at the airport’s Graham Clarke Atrium.
The plan will be funded by the airport improvement fee, which was originally introduced 20 years ago as a temporary measure.
With files from Alia Dharssi.
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