Thunder Bay airport renovations heading toward completion
Larger departure lounge, food service upgrades, security enhancements to be complete by July 1
Renovations at the passenger terminal include a larger departure lounge, a bigger security screening area and better food service amenities.
The passenger terminal at Thunder Bay International Airport is undergoing its first major renovation since its 1994 opening.
The available space for food services was way too small. Significant changes and new offerings are in store although he wouldn’t reveal any of those details.
What’s prompted the changes is growing passenger volume flowing through the northwestern Ontario facility, buttressed by the resurgence of the mining and mineral exploration industry, the public sector and post-secondary institutions, and Americans from Minnesota and Wisconsin who find it more affordable and faster to fly out of Thunder Bay to European destinations.
The terminal handled more than 844,627 passengers in 2017, up 4.6 per cent from the previous year, making it one of Ontario’s busiest airports behind Toronto’s two airports – Pearson International and Billy Bishop – and Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier.
The nature of international traffic in and out of Thunder Bay has also changed. Years ago, it consisted of five-day-a-week propeller aircraft flight to Minneapolis.
Today, they’re processing hundreds heading south aboard charters to vacation hotspots.
Source: Northern Ontario Business