Regional airport's runway widening completed ahead of schedule

NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE COUNTY
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MIDHURST – The county continues to invest in the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport (LSRA) and recently completed phase one of a multi-phase runway expansion project.

The widening of the runway from 100 to 150 feet, combined with other airport service upgrades, including LED high intensity runway lighting, machinery and infrastructure enhancements, are the latest steps in an extensive $60-million Strategic Plan designed to enhance the LSRA as a key economic asset for the region.

The county’s Airport Development Strategy focuses on making improvements to attract and sustain growth in corporate services, while supporting growing demand from our area businesses to utilize the airport for shipments of goods and services around the world.

The county’s early completion of its runway-widening project allowed for early reinstatement of Canada Border Services. Construction was completed approximately four months ahead of schedule, just as the LSRA was chosen by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to be one of a select few airports to have its CBSA clearance status reinstated, allowing international flights to resume in and out of the LSRA following all COVID safety protocols.

Since becoming the majority shareholder in 2019, the county’s financial investment and future commitment has propelled LSRA’s competitive position and secured new opportunities in advanced manufacturing and aerospace, including strategic collaboration with Volatus Aerospace, MediCA Park and the Oro Station Sports Development group.

The runway expansion will open up new markets for business, specifically corporate aviation (passenger and freight), and will encourage new cluster development and innovation to occur at LSRA. In addition to the business partnerships highlighted above, since the county’s purchase of additional shares, a new flight school (Ontario Flight Centre), a new airport restaurant/catering business (Da Vinci’s Gate by Cravings) and additional corporate aircraft have made LSRA their home.

The widening of the runway provides an additional margin of safety for larger aircraft, especially during periods when the runway is wet or contaminated with snow.

As the 90 per cent shareholder in LSRA, the county has committed to phase two of the expansion project, extending the runway from 6,001 feet to 7,000 feet to permit larger sized intercontinental corporate aircrafts to operate out of LSRA. Phase two of the runway project is currently going through approvals.

Quotes
“We’re pleased that the runway widening project was completed ahead of schedule and in time for CBSA’s most recent announcement, which supports businesses and corporate partners at the LSRA. Our Council is committed to continuing to develop the airport as one of our most important regional economic assets. From investors to current businesses, many of our industry partners are already recognizing the opportunities that exist due to the airport’s premier location, convenient transit links and our growing workforce in Simcoe County.” – County of Simcoe Warden George Cornell

“Given our proximity to the GTA and Simcoe County’s world-class manufacturing business, the LSRA is a huge economic asset for our region and will become even more critical as our economy and manufacturing sectors continue to grow. The County is investing in the airport, making the right enhancements to support the needs of our business partners for generations to come.” – Richard Norcross, County Councillor and LSRA Board Chair

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