Calgary International Airport reports record number of passengers in 2023

Passengers walk past Air Canada and WestJet planes at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alta., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The Calgary International Airport is looking ahead to another busy travel season, building off a record year, where more than 18.5 million passengers went through its terminals.

"We've recovered from the pandemic," said Chris Dinsdale, president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority.

"In fact, we're proud to be even stronger than we were pre-pandemic. We added new destinations both within North America and across the world. We've made long-term investments in our airport ecosystem significantly targeted to elevate the journey of our guests in the short and long-term."

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In July 2023, the airport set a monthly passenger record, only to beat it the following month.

"YYC remains the fourth busiest Canadian airport by passenger activity and is one of only two Canadian airports to exceed its 2019 volumes," officials said.

The average number of flights leaving YYC daily was also up last year, with the busiest day being July 16, 2023, when 278 flights took off.

Officials say getting to the airport has also become a lot easier for passengers, with recently completed renovations on the P1 parkade, improvements to parking lots, a new contract for taxi operators and the addition of Lyft ridesharing service.

More changes are in store at the airport, with work expected to begin on the rehabilitation of YYC's west runway.

Led by PCL Construction Management, the $201-million project is expected to begin this spring and continue in phases, with an estimated completion date near the end of 2025.

"This is a cornerstone initiative that includes the complete replacement of our west runway and various other segments of the overall infrastructure," Dinsdale said.

The initial piece of the runway was built in 1939, he says, and has been servicing an "increasing demand" of passenger and cargo transport.

Dinsdale says sustainability is also being kept in mind during the construction work.

"Eighty per cent of the existing runway will be recycled. It will be removed, crushed and put back into place, including asphalt, concrete, gravel and electric fixtures," Dinsdale said, adding that concrete will also employ carbon capture elements.

Additional work is also being done at the Springbank Airport, where $3.5 million is being spent to pave and restore a section of the east/west runway as well as upgrading the lighting on runway edges to LED fixtures.