EDMONTON - Time is money and shutting down the City Centre Airport will cost Edmonton businesses and taxpayers several million dollars each year, says an organization fighting to keep the downtown airport open.
To prove its point, the Alberta Enterprise Group organized a media event called The Great Airport Race, which critics said did little to provide facts for the debate over the municipal airport's future.
The AEG sent two groups of reporters on two different round-trips meant to simulate typical business trips.
The groups caught cabs in downtown Edmonton, then travelled to the airports and flew out. One group went on a round trip out of the City Centre Airport, the second took a round trip from the Executive Flight Centre at the International Airport. Both trips included flights past Westlock and back.
In total, the International Airport trip took 65 minutes longer than the City Centre trip.
Most of that extra time was spent on the road, travelling by cab to the International Airport.
It's eight to 10 minutes for a $10 to $15 cab ride from downtown to the City Centre Airport, but 25 to 30 minutes for a $45 to $50 cab ride from downtown to the Executive Flight Centre.
Things were also slower on the runway at the Edmonton International. It took two minutes to land at the City Centre Airport and taxi in, but 10 to 15 minutes to do so at the International Airport.
Traci Bednard, spokeswoman for Edmonton Airports, said runway time can vary drastically at both airports depending on which runway is used, which end of the runway is used and which terminal the plane must taxi to. She used that fact as an example of why the AEG's race might not be constructive to the overall debate over the municipal airport's future.
"I think it's important to get good facts out," Bednard said. "I worry that this kind of an event tries to generalize information into sound bites, and I don't know if that can help."
Edmonton Airports currently manages all four Edmonton-area airports, including the municipal airport. Bednard said the organization's position on the municipal airport debate is that if the airport continues in its current space, it would like to continue managing it. She said if the city chooses to redevelop that land, Edmonton Airports would respect that decision. The important thing, Bednard said, is that relevant facts are considered in the process.
"We want to make sure the city of Edmonton and Edmontonians consider the full facts in this debate. It's difficult to consider the full facts simply with an event like this."
Cal Nichols, chairman of the Alberta Enterprise Group, said the cost and time differences revealed in the Great Airport Race may not seem like much, but they can add up. He said aircrafts typically cost $2,000 an hour, and with businesses doing hundreds of flights a year, and with the Medevac service doing more than 2,500 each year, the costs add up quickly.
It's also necessary to factor in the down time for executives, as well as the salaries of doctors and nurses on Medevac flights, said Tim Shipton, president of the Alberta Enterprise Group.
"For business travel, the City Centre Airport makes more sense. We're saying the numbers today show the airport should remain open."
Myles Chykerda, a member of the Facebook group that supports closing the municipal airport and redeveloping the land, said Tuesday's stunt proves little, except that there is a lot of money behind the pro-municipal airport movement, which allows it to seem bigger than it really is.
"It's a great example of a very loud squeaky minority that gets the attention," said Chykerda.
"It's another piece of smoke and mirrors that have no hard facts to support the pro-muni side."
Some business leaders, however, say they see the business potential of the airport.
Atco makes more than 500 flights a year out of the City Centre and the airport has been critical to the company maintaining its head offices of Atco Electric, Atco Gas and Atco I-Tek in downtown Edmonton, said chairman Ron Southern.
"Edmonton City Centre Airport is a unique asset that, if removed, can never be recreated. It's value will increase as the city grows and our status as the economic hub of the north is further established."