Canada’s longest serving international airport, Winnipeg (James Armstrong Richardson) International Airport (YWG) is operated by Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. (WAA). It is Canada’s only major international airport between Toronto and Calgary and is competitively positioned as a 24-hour unrestricted airport. Only 7 km (4.5 miles) from the city’s downtown, it provides convenient access for Winnipeg business and visitor traffic alike.

YWG offers a broad range of air passenger and cargo services, including international carriers, commuter airlines, jet freight carriers, fixed base operators, and various charter operations. It serves approximately 3.4 million passengers and handles about 141,000 aircraft movements per year and approximately 174,000 tonnes of cargo annually.¹

Cargo and courier business at YWG is strong with on-site Purolator and Federal Express sorting facilities, daily transborder service from UPS, and service by Air Canada Cargo and Cargojet Airlines and other carriers. Purolator's sorting facility is approximately 92,000 square feet² on a land parcel of about 6 acres. Purolator also leases another land parcel of approximately 10 acres from WAA³. The Federal Express facility is approximately 35,000 square feet on a land parcel of about 6.5 acres.

To respond to increasing activity at the airport, the WAA has undertaken a $585 million⁴ multi-phase site redevelopment that includes a new 1,600-space parking structure, groundside site services, an additional aircraft parking apron and a new 51,000 square-metre terminal building targeted for completion in 2011.

WAA is aggressively marketing land surrounding the airport, ideal for airport-related businesses and companies needing quick access to far reaching markets. It has approximately 800 acres of land available for development in four Airport Business Parks (East, South, West and North). About 90 serviced acres with excellent transportation access are available⁵.

Airport Business Park East has a strong existing tenant base of air cargo integrators and aerospace industry leaders. Airport Business Park South consists of general aviation businesses and fixed base operators.  Tenants include Fast Air Executive Aviation Services, Skyward/Shell Aerocentre and Esso Avitat⁶. Development of Airport Business Park West focuses on aircraft maintenance, aerospace training and distribution centres⁷.

Facts about the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

• Taxi fare to downtown – approx. $15.50 to $18.00⁸
• Limousine service between airport and downtown – approx. $11.70⁹ (per person, shared ride at prescribed rate)
• In-terminal car rentals: Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, Dollar-Thrifty, National¹⁰
• Airport hotel: Sheraton Four Points Hotel (connected by skywalk to the Air Terminal building; 149 rooms, restaurant and lounge services, conference rooms and fitness centre)¹¹

CentrePort Canada

Being developed adjacent to the northwest boundary of Richardson International Airport is CentrePort Canada, a new 20,000-acre inland port that offers greenfield investment opportunities for distribution centres, warehousing and manufacturing. CentrePort Canada will allow companies to take advantage of the leading cargo capabilities of Richardson International Airport, as well as:

• an abundance of serviced land ready for investment and development
• Manitoba’s strategic mid-continent location
• a well-established multi-modal network of highways, railways, air and sea connections
• direct road and rail access to Canada’s western seaports, and
• convenient and economical access to key markets in North America