YYC’s airfield will see additional changes this year

After conducting a thorough review and consulting with stakeholders, The Calgary Airport Authority made the decision to transform Runway 08/26 to Taxiway Lima. Today, we officially kick off construction, which we anticipate will conclude by the end of November 2024.

A new purpose for existing infrastructure

Runway 08/26 was built with an east-west orientation in 1938. At the time, it was crucial to YYC’s operations, which looked very different in the 1930s and 40s than what we see today. The original runway was 4,125 feet long, and in 1949 it was extended to its current length, 6,200 feet, making it the third longest runway in Alberta at the time.

The aviation industry and air travel have changed a lot over the last 86 years. For most of these years, we continued to use Runway 08/26 as intended, however, as aircraft became increasingly larger to accommodate growing demand, this runway was used less frequently. Generally, the larger an aircraft, the longer a runway needs to be to ensure safe take off and landing, particularly at higher elevations like Calgary’s. YYC’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains also means we rarely see aircraft approaching for landing from the west, further limiting when and how this runway can be used.

During the pandemic, we paused use of 08/26 as a runway and instead began using it in ways which better served the needs of our operation from 2020 onwards. Over the past four years, Runway 08/26 has been used to better connect tenants and hangars located at the southern end of our campus to our East, West and Crosswinds runways and other taxiways, improving aircraft flow on the airfield.

Converting Runway 08/26 to Taxiway Lima ensures YYC is prepared for future growth and The Authority and its partners maintain a safe and efficient operation.