September 7, 2001

Iqaluit's air terminal may move

Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — Earlier this month, the GN's Department of Community Government and Transportation asked for proposals on the construction of a new terminal northeast of the present facility.

John Hawkins, Nunavut's manager of airport facilities, said there's nothing wrong with the current terminal. The problem is that parking is too tight on the tarmac in front of it. So many jets pack into the area now that flight-safety standards are violated.

There's more room on the large apron farther from town, Hawkins said. "But you can't just pick up the terminal building and move it where it has to be."

The present terminal was built by Transport Canada in the late 1980s, because Iqaluit became a capital and its air traffic increased.

Hawkins said the new building may be finished in around five years. It isn't yet known how much it will cost or how the GN will pay for it.