Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/1518745
International Airport is bouncing back in a big way. In 2023, 4,094,793 passengers travelled through the facilities—over one million more travellers than in the previous year and the first time WAA clocked four mil- lion people since COVID-19 brought travel to a near standstill. At the same time, WAA increased connectivity to Winnipeg. With United Airlines set to bring its non-stop service to Chicago and Denver back to YWG this spring, the airport will have six year-round destinations to the U.S., which is more than it has ever had before. These also include a Los Angeles route launched in 2022 and an Atlanta route launched last year. The L.A. route is important not only because it offers Manitobans easy entry to great leisure destinations in California and access to an important travel hub on the West Coast but also because it enables inbound opportunities for tourism and the local film, television, and music industries. "It's been very well received," Hays says. "We hear a lot of positive stories from people in film, music and television… That means jobs, investment in this province, and unlocking economic opportunities that are good for Manitobans." WAA is seeing a sig- nificant uptake in the Atlanta route, which links travellers to one of the world's most connected airports and more than 1,000 daily departures to 210-plus destinations. "Lots of exciting things are happening," Hays says, "and we'll keep working hard to further enhance connectivity for the community." In addition to serving travellers, WAA is making strides as part of Canada's air freight transportation network. WAA is a crucial hub for many cargo air freight operators and is seeing steady growth. It's nearing construction on an air cargo logistics facility, which is part of a $120 million redevelopment of the cargo corner of the airfield and will increase the airport's capacity to handle cargo. That means businesses can get their products to new and existing markets more quickly, efficiently, and at lower costs. The 142,500-square-foot facility is expected to open in late 2025 or early 2026. "That is very, very exciting indeed," Hays says. As he discusses what's happening at WAA, Hays highlights the seventh priority in the organization's strategic plan: further developing a culture of environmental stewardship. WAA continues to understand and ad- dress its climate change risks. It is prioritizing its greenhouse gas emis- sions reduction strategy to meet the airline industry's ambition of achieving net zero by 2050. WAA has developed a detailed emissions reduction plan to help guide its journey. The plan identifies short-, medium- and long-term tar- gets and initiatives to help measure WAA's progress over time. It is also SPRING 2024 • THE ASSINIBOIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 13 Nick Hays, president and CEO, Winnipeg Airports Authority That's fundamental to why we exist, that's funda- mental to our mission, and I think it's central to why so many of our team members are passionate about what they do: We're here to serve, we're here to support the community. We believe we play a role in supporting and helping Winnipeg be an even better place to live and work. Photo Credit: Darcy Finley