Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on
Sea Island in
Richmond,
British Columbia,
Canada, about 15 kilometres driving distance from downtown
Vancouver. It is the
second busiest airport in Canada, behind
Toronto's Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to
Asia,
Europe, the
United States,
Mexico, the
Caribbean, and other airports within Canada. In 2004, 15.7 million passengers went through the airport, and in 2005 it served over 16.4 million.
Passengers travelling through YVR are no longer required to pay a separate
Airport Improvement Fee; it now is included in the price of a ticket.
The Vancouver International Airport is one of eight Canadian Airports that have
U.S. border preclearance facilities.
Vancouver International Airport has three
terminals: The domestic terminal, which was constructed in 1968 and recently given a top-to-bottom renovation; the International Terminal, which was newly constructed in the early
1990s, and the South Terminal, which is a portion of the original terminal that is still in use. The International and Domestic terminals can effectively be considered to be one building divided into two sections, while the South terminal is located in a remote part of the airport. The South Terminal serves regional airlines which fly mostly within British Columbia.
After the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the closure of
North American
airspace resulted in Vancouver International Airport being part of
Operation Yellow Ribbon because it was the only major Canadian airport on the West Coast that could handle large aircraft. This resulted in a huge volume of trans-Pacific traffic being diverted there—34 flights carrying 8,500 passengers from Asia to destinations on the United States West Coast and points beyond. One of the aircraft diverted was an
Air China 747 from
Beijing to
San Francisco escorted by two U.S.
F-15s onto the airport's north runway, purely due to a communication problem. Even though Vancouver International did not register the highest number of flights relative to other Canadian airports involved in the operation (Only
Halifax and
Gander registered more than Vancouver International), it registered more passengers than any other Canadian airport involved in the operation. The airport's handling of the operation won them the 2001 Airport Management Award from the B.C. Aviation Council.
In May
2005, the federal government, which owns the land, announced it was cutting rent costs by 54%. The rent reductions will cut the cost of the lease by approx. $840-million CAD between 2006-2020, or $5.0-billion over the term of the lease, which ends in 2052. Currently, the airport authority pays about $80 million CAD each year in rent.
Vancouver International Airport Authority has built a reputation as a premier gateway airport between Asia and North America. It is the closest major North American airport to Asia on the great circle routes which saves air carriers and passengers time. Although metropolitan Vancouver has a population of about 2.4 million, YVR boasts more non-stop service to Asia relative to size of local population than any other airport in North America. This is because of the close family and business ties between Vancouver and Asia and the success of the Authority, together with air carriers, in building a connecting hub or gateway between North America and Asia. The result is that Vancouver is better connected to the world than would otherwise be the case.
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An aboriginal wood sculpture, located on the first floor of the domestic terminal. |
Vancouver International Airport's interior has a uniquely B.C. theme, featuring one of the most extensive collections of North West Coast Native art in the world, and blues and greens to reflect the colours of the land, sea and sky. The airport uses a lot of carpet and vast expanses of glass to let in lots of natural light. One of the most noticeable pieces in an arriving passenger's trip is the International arrivals hall, a large area where customs and immigration procedures are completed. Arriving passengers come down escalators leading to a platform across a large waterfall. The YVR aboriginal art collection includes wooden sculptures and totem poles.
By November
2009, in time for the
2010 Winter Olympics, the
Canada Line, a rapid transit line running from Richmond to the airport to downtown Vancouver, will be completed, for which Vancouver International Airport is contributing up to $300 million dollars. The total cost of the project is $2 billion Canadian dollars. A Link Building ($117 million, completion
2007) will be the docking area for users of the line and will link the international terminal with the domestic terminal. A nine-gate international terminal expansion will be done in two phases ($420 million; Phase 1 – 2007; Phase 2 – as soon as 2010). The first phase will see four new gates with two conventional wide-bodied gates and two able to accommodate the
Airbus A380. The international terminal addition will have several examples of beauty in British Columbia, including a stream in a proposed pathway and fish and jellyfish tanks.
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International arrivals hall |
Vancouver International Airport Authority is currently developing a 2007-2027 Master Plan and Land Use Plan, a look forward 20 years to ensure YVR will be able to accommodate the passengers it expects. It is asking the community for input and toured local malls with an informational display to elicit feedback. The tour is complete, but the public can still provide feedback through the Master Plan section of the YVR website, where a copy of the draft Master Plan recommendations is also available.
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Interior of the domestic terminal's check-in area for Air Canada. |
Domestic terminal
Gates A1-A9, B11-B22, and C30-C52
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Air Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Montréal, Ottawa, Regina, Toronto, Victoria, Winnipeg)
**
Air Canada Jazz (Calgary, Campbell River, Castlegar, Comox, Cranbrook, Edmonton, Fort St. John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Penticton, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Regina, Sandspit, Saskatoon, Smithers, Terrace, Victoria, Whitehorse)
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Air North (Whitehorse)
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Central Mountain Air (Campbell River, Comox, Kamloops, Kelowna, Quesnel, Williams Lake)
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Harmony Airways (Calgary, Toronto)
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Integra Air (Abbotsford)
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Skyservice (Calgary, Cancun, Holguin, Las Vegas, Liberia, Montego Bay, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose Del Cabo, Toronto, Varadero)
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Sunwing Airlines (Halifax, London Ontario)
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WestJet (Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Honolulu, Kahului, Kelowna, Los Angeles, Manzanillo, Montréal, Ottawa, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Prince George, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo, Saskatoon, Toronto, Winnipeg)
International terminal
Gates D50-D77 and E69-E96
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International departures hall. |
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Air Canada (Anchorage, Beijing, Boston [seasonal], Cancun, Chicago-O'Hare, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Nagoya, New York-JFK, Osaka-Kansai, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, San Francisco, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Sydney, Tokyo-Narita)
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Air Canada Jazz (Portland (OR), San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma)
*
Air China (Beijing)
*
Air Pacific (Honolulu, Nadi)
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Air Transat (Amsterdam, Calgary, Cancun, Frankfurt, Glasgow, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK), Manzanillo, Munich, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana)
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Alaska Airlines (Anchorage, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma)
**
Horizon Air (Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma)
*
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth)
*
Belair (Zürich[seasonal])
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British Airways (London-Heathrow)
*
Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong, New York-JFK)
*
China Airlines (Taipei-Chiang Kai Shek)
*
China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai-Pudong)
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Condor Airlines (Frankfurt, Halifax, Hannover[seasonal])
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Continental Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental, Newark [seasonal])
*
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Salt Lake City)
**
Delta Connection operated by
SkyWest (Salt Lake City)
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EVA Air (Taipei-Chiang Kai Shek)
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Harmony Airways (Honolulu, Kahului, Las Vegas, New York JFK, Oakland, Palm Springs)
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Japan Airlines (Mexico City, Tokyo-Narita)
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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam)
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Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
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LTU (Düsseldorf, Munich)
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Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
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Martinair (Amsterdam)
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Mexicana (Mexico City)
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MyTravel Airways (Calgary, Edmonton, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
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Northwest Airlines (All Seasonal)(Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
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Philippine Airlines (Las Vegas, Manila)
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Qantas (San Francisco, Sydney)
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Singapore Airlines (Seoul-Incheon, Singapore)
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Thomas Cook Airlines (London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
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United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles)
**
United Express operated by
SkyWest (Los Angeles, starts
September 6,
2006)
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US Airways**
US Airways operated by
America West Airlines (Las Vegas, Phoenix)
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Zoom Airlines (Belfast, Calgary, Cardiff, Glasgow, Hanover, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK), Paris-Charles De Gaulle)
South terminal
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Amigo Airways (Nanaimo)
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Baxter Aviation (Nanaimo)
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Harbour Air (Ganges Harbour, Montague Harbour, Miners Bay, Lyall Harbour, Bedwell Harbour, Victoria/Inner Harbour, Nanaimo Harbour)
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Hawkair (Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Grand Prairie, Prince Rupert, Terrace, Victoria (BC))
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HeliJet (Victoria/Inner Harbour, Whistler)
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Kelowna Flightcraft (Masset, Sandspit, Kelowna)
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KD Air (Qualicum Beach)
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Northern Thunderbird Air (Smithers, Mackenzie, Prince George)
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Pacific Coastal Airlines (Anahim Lake, Campbell River, Comox, Cranbrook, Port Hardy, Powell River, Victoria (BC), Williams Lake)
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Regency North Vancouver Air (Tofino)
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Regional 1 (Kelowna and Red Deer)
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Saltspring Air (Ganges Harbour, Maple Bay, )
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Seair Seaplanes (Ganges Harbour, Montague Harbour, Miners Bay, Lyall Harbour, Port Washington, Telegraph Harbour, Nanaimo/Departure Bay)
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Swanberg Air (Grande Prairie)
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Tofino Air (Silva Bay, Sechelt)
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West Coast Air (Victoria/Inner Harbour)
Cargo only carriers
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Cargojet Airways (Calgary, Winnipeg)
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Cathay Pacific (Anchorage, Hong Kong, Los Angeles)
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Empire Airlines (Oakland)
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Fedex (Casper, Spokane)
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Kelowna Flightcraft (Calgary, Kamloops, Victoria, Winnipeg)
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Morningstar Air Express (Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Moncton, Halifax, Victoria)
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United Parcel Service (Seattle/Tacoma)
There are several
fixed base operators that service aircraft at Vancouver International Airport:
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Esso Avitat (
ExxonMobil)
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Jet Eagle*
Million Air (
Chevron Corporation)
*
Landmark Aviation, formerly Piedmont Hawthorne (
Royal Dutch Shell)
*
Royal Petroleum*
Servisair GlobeGround*
List of airports in the Vancouver area*
Minoru Park*
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West Coast aviation Photo spotting in YVR
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Vancouver International Airport Authority*
Vancouver International Airport page on Places to Fly, the airport directory of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association*
Satellite image of airport from Google Maps
