A major airport expansion aims to attract investment, jobs and new industry to Manitoba
The Winnipeg Airports Authority is negotiating with potential tenants for a massive new commercial project at its West Lands development
designed to strengthen Manitoba’s role as a multi-modal transportation hub.
Infrastructure work has already begun on an 84-acre parcel of land west of the airport that will create shovel-ready sites for aviation, aerospace, defence, advanced manufacturing, logistics and distribution businesses that require immediate or proximal runway airside access and multi-modal connectivity.
Ultimately, it’s expected there will be 2.6 million square feet of commercial and industrial development on the site.
“The airport is in a growth mode,” says Will Rossall, director of real estate & land development at the WAA. “We’re more business focussed than we were in the past.”
It’s too early to announce any tenants but Rossall says the WAA has received interest from about 15 different groups. For the air side,
they include maintenance repair and overhaul providers opportunities as well as manufacturers of aviation equipment and airplanes. And on the ground side, WAA is in talks with players in the pharmaceutical industry, distribution and logistics as well as current tenants looking to expand.
“There is good strong demand. We anticipate a pretty quick absorption of about five years for 84 acres. I’m cautiously optimistic we’ll exceed that based on what I’m seeing,” he says.
The total infrastructure investment for this first phase — representing just 84 of 220 available acres — is $33 million, $10 million of which was provided by the federal government, $5 million by the province and the remaining $18 million by the WAA. The work currently underway includes site servicing, grading, drainage and utility installation, as well as the extension of Moray Street.
“It’s the perfect time for this development. The supply chains are shifting and the demand for connected infrastructure is growing,” he says.
The WAA is confident the project — which will be formally named this summer — will be a significant economic driver with an estimated
2,700 jobs expected to be created, either directly or indirectly, construction will contribute $1.9 billion to GDP and there will be annual recurring GDP impact of $486 million.
Expansion of the West Lands is the biggest opportunity the airport has had from a development perspective in some time, Rossall says.
“There were a lot of folks looking at this land for a long time. (This project) is made possible by the investment in CentrePort by the City of Winnipeg and province to unlock lands for us and others,” he says. “We’re on time and on budget. We intend to finish the first phase of work
this construction season and to fully complete the infrastructure project in 2027.”
The West Lands development aligns with the recently-launched trade alliance between the WAA, CentrePort Canada and the Port of Churchill aimed at building a more integrated and resilient supply chain network across air, land and sea.
“We’re working to provide a united front so it’s easier for companies to do business with Manitoba,” says Kerilee Falloon, director of communications and marketing at the Winnipeg Airports Authority. “We can collaborate on shared goals with companies that move goods and people across air, land and sea as opposed to having to go to separate ports,” she says.
The new flight plan
Lasr year’s tariffs from the U.S. are impacting airline traffic at the Richardson International Airport.
Airlines are increasing domestic connectivity while adding non-stop routes to non-U.S. destinations, says Kerilee Falloon, director of
communications and marketing at the Winnipeg Airports Authority.
“Canadians are travelling less to the U.S. and we’re not seeing that trend on the other side. Americans are still travelling to Canada,” she says.
WestJet’s previously announced route to Iceland started June 27th, less than two weeks after it restarted the non-stop weekly flight to St. John’s, Newfoundland that proved so popular last summer. WestJet has also added non stop flights to Kelowna, Victoria and Halifax, which will run until October, and to London, ON, which will last until September. Porter Airlines has also added six weekly flights from Winnipeg
to Montreal’s new Metropolitan Airport airport.
Travellers at Richardson International will also notice a new piece of land acknowledgement artwork in the arrivals hall near the Hug Rug. Commissioned by a Treaty 1 artist, it reflects a shared commitment to respect, recognition and meaningful inclusion within one of Manitoba’s most important gathering places and features a trilingual message in Anishinaabemowin, English and French, in honour of the First Peoples of this region.
