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Robert Barron column: Nanaimo Airport needs better lighting systems

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Robert Barron

I can recall numerous times over the years getting stranded at Vancouver Airport on the way back to Vancouver Island from a long period of flying from vacations down south, or a wedding and other special events back east.

Nothing is more frustrating than, after dealing with all the line-ups, over-zealous custom officials, cramped seats and surly airline staff and fellow fliers over a one or two-day period of trying to get home than finding yourself stuck in Vancouver Airport with no way of taking the last 20-minute flight to Nanaimo Airport because of fog and/or snow.

After travelling thousands of miles and just wanting to get home, my short flight to Nanaimo would be cancelled and, even though I was sure I could almost see my house across the narrow Salish Sea from the windows at the Vancouver Airport, I was often left to my own devises as to how to cover this last leg of travelling.

All the float planes were usually grounded as well for the same reason so, typically, the next step was a mad dash to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, that involves an expensive cab ride, to catch a ferry to Duke Point, which added several more unwanted hours of travel, and that’s if you were lucky and the ferries were running in the bad weather.

If not, you either had to spend an uncomfortable night in Vancouver Airport or a ferry terminal trying to catch a few winks in straight-back chairs not intended for this purpose, which I’m finding is a much less desirable option as I age, or spend a prohibitively pricey evening in a hotel.

It always annoyed me that I would have to pay hundreds of dollars that I didn't plan on for a room where I could lay my head for just a few hours before attempting to get home the next day.

By the time I finally did get thankfully get back to my house, I would vow that I'd never fly in or out of Nanaimo Airport again, but that was a hard promise to keep when the only alternative was to go all the way to Victoria to catch a flight.

Those were among the few times I’ve ever regretted moving to Vancouver Island.

To be fair, the vast majority of times while travelling, I have made it home to Vancouver Island with little or no problems at all, but it's just human nature to remember those times when things didn't go well and not those without any incidents.

Anyway, I was heartened when Dave Devana, president and CEO of the Nanaimo Airport, told the board at the Cowichan Valley Regional District at a meeting in November that plans for a new and more efficient lighting system are in place that could see the dependability of the airport increase substantially, meaning less flight cancellations.

He said that in 2023, the airport had 114 plane cancellations between January and March that were related to 40 foggy days, but if or when the new lighting system is installed, those cancellations could be reduced down to just 20, and the airport would only be impacted by fog just three days of the year. That would make a lot of difference to wary travellers who just want to end their trips and go home without being stymied from doing so when they are, metaphorically, a stones-throw away from their houses.

It’s also important as the population of central Vancouver Island continues to grow at a feverish pace. With more and more people coming here to live and set up shop, having a dependable airport nearby is an absolute necessity.

But I’m concerned that Devana said “if” when referring to the new lighting system, so I gather the funding is not currently in place for it, which means that the plan could be just a pipe dream of the airport’s administration at this time.

I would urge the airport’s management, as well as anybody else who wants to see flights in and out of the Nanaimo Airport that can be depended on, to lobby Transport Canada and the federal government to provide funding for the airport to install the new lighting systems.

It’s just too important for the mid-Island region for those lights not to be put in soon.



Robert Barron

About the Author: Robert Barron

Since 2016, I've had had the pleasure of working with our dedicated staff and community in the Cowichan Valley.
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