Fort McMurray International Airport

Early 20th-century flights to Fort McMurray were primarily float planes that used the Snye River, a waterway that linked Clearwater River to the larger Athabasca River (private floatplanes still use the waterway). The first landing strip for light planes was built in 1936 to connect Fort McMurray with Edmonton.

In 1942, Canadian Pacific Airlines upgraded the landing strip. That same year, with the United States entering World War II, the United States Army Air Forces took over the airfield and made further improvements to service Allied air military operations in the Europe and Pacific war theatres. In 1944, the USAAF transferred custody of the airstrip back to the Canadian Department of Transport (now Transport Canada).

The Department of Transport continued to make improvements to the airfield, lengthening the runway to 1,829 m (6,001 ft) and paving it with asphalt in 1948. Pacific Western Airlines took over management of the airport from the late 1950s to 1960s. In 1962, the airline company built the first permanent air terminal building.

Transport Canada continued to operate and make improvements to the airport from the 1960s to 1990s. The first permanent control tower was commissioned in 1981 and a larger 3,000 m² (32,000 sq ft) terminal opened in 1986 to accommodate 250,000 passengers per year.

In 1999, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo created the Regional Airport Commission to take over management of the airport from Transport Canada. Ongoing development in the Athabasca oil sands led to massive passenger growth and aircraft traffic. Higher demand made it necessary to expand, including extending the runway to its current length of 2,287 m (7,503 ft) in 2007.

In 2009, the Regional Airport Commission incorporated an airport authority. The first airport authority Board was formed in 2010 to become the Fort McMurray Airport Authority (FMAA), which presently manages YMM.

YMM became the fastest-growing airport in Canada in the early 2010s, with air activity records shattered in 2013 and 2014. YMM served 1.2 million passengers in 2013, and 1.3 million passengers in 2014. YMM went from the 16th busiest airport in Canada in 2011 to 15th busiest in 2014.[12]

Many passengers included people from outside Canada – particularly foreign workers for the Athabasca oil sands. To make it easier for work and leisure air travel, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) created a permanent border entry into Canada at YMM in 2013.[10]

Larger passenger numbers created crowded conditions at the original terminal. The FMAA built a new $258 million airport terminal that was five times larger than the original and able to accommodate up to 1.5 million passengers per year. The new terminal was opened to passengers on June 9, 2014.[8]

The airport temporarily ceased operations on May 4, 2016 due to an out-of-control wildfire in Fort McMurray. Some minor damage occurred to outer structures, but the primary buildings remained intact.

The main terminal building serves commercial passengers and houses CBSA where international travellers and returning Canadians enter the country. The building is approximately 15,000 m² (160,000 sq ft), or the equivalent size of 2.5 Canadian football fields. The terminal has four passenger bridges and eight aircraft parking stands.[13]

The terminal has many services for passengers, including:[14]

• a customer service and visitor information centre
• a public observation area with interactive learning exhibits
• a children's play area
• a naturally heated courtyard with a travelling pet relief area
• free wireless service and USB charging stations in all passenger lounge seats

Passenger seating at Starbucks

The main terminal has eight retail, food, and beverage outlets on both sides of security. Some of the major brands are:[15][16]

• Best Buy Express
• Burger King
• Earls Kitchen + Bar
• Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
• Jugo Juice
• Nicholby's Convenience Stores
• Tim Hortons

On April 22, 2015, YMM received first place in the "Best Food & Beverage Program – Medium/Small Airport" category at the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) Excellence in Airport Concessions Awards.[17]

The North Terminal was originally built for both commercial and private passenger services. After the opening of the new main terminal in 2014, the building was renovated and re-opened as the North Terminal to serve workforce charters, corporate fliers and cargo.[18]

The North Terminal supports about 250,000 workers a year, or 20 percent of all YMM passengers annually.[19] Charter carriers, including Canadian North, Enerjet, Flair Air and North Cariboo Air operate through the terminal. The terminal has retail, food and beverage, and car rental services. It also handles air cargo operations such as a dedicated cargo depot, storage and sorting space as well as ramp space for cargo aircraft.

The most striking feature is the unique laminated pine wood beam used to support the roof, which is the largest of this type of material in North America. Some 644,663 kg (1,421,239 lb) of pine wood material was used to build the roof using engineered timber reclaimed from forested areas in interior British Columbia that were devastated by pine beetle infestation in the mid-2000s. The exposed mass timber structure complements the other refined yet durable materials used for the terminal's interior, including triple glazed windows, terrazzo flooring and acoustic wood panels.

"Daedalist" by David Robinson, Vancouver

YMM has a collection of art by artists locally and across Western Canada that showcases the unique look and character of Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region.[22] These art pieces include:

• the suspended sculpture "Daedalist" by David Robinson of Vancouver
• the photographic collage "Waterways" by Liz Ingram of Edmonton
• the paintings "Lasting Impression" and "Sky Explorer" by Lucas Seaward of Fort McMurray (which uses bitumen as part of the palette)
• the painting "Sky Dance" by Amy Keller-Rempp of Fort McMurray
• the painting series "Utopia" by Jane Ash Poitras of Fort Chipewyan

The Northern Lights mural in the arrivals hall features the aurora borealis and boreal forests for the Wood Buffalo region, and unites all the other thematic features of the main terminal.

Airport observation deck

YMM has an interactive public observation area with educational exhibits showcasing Fort McMurray's aviation history.[23] These exhibits include:

• a mural of famous pilots that operated in northern Alberta in the early to mid-20th century
• a rotating historical artifacts collection of aviation equipment and heirlooms donated by the Fort McMurray Historical Society, the Alberta Aviation Museum and the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame
• interactive video screens that take visitors through a virtual timeline of northern Alberta's aviation history
• telescopes for viewing airfield activity

Light towers at airport entrance

A trident of light towers varying between 5 to 7 m (16 to 23 ft) in height can be seen by passengers before the main terminal entrance. The three towers are illuminated after sunset with colours similar to the aurora borealis. YMM also has two 9 m (30 ft) illuminated welcome signs with a replica of a Canadian Forces Snowbirds aircraft.[24]

Over half of cargo at YMM is handled by dedicated air cargo carriers while Air Canada and WestJet carry the remainder on scheduled passenger flights. The air cargo facility in the short-term will operate out of the North Terminal. A new third-party air cargo building with an expanded apron is planned to be built east of the North Terminal.[29]

YMM has many taxi/shuttle services passengers can use, including:[31]

• 24-hour licensed taxi service, including wheelchair accessible units
• limo services (luxury sedans, SUVs, stretch limos)
• private shuttle service to hotels or worksites, based on individual arrangements

Six major rental car brands also operate at YMM:

• Avis
• Budget
• Driving Force
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• National

Wood Buffalo Transit System's Route 11 Airport Shuttle

The Wood Buffalo Transit operates a bus route (Route 11) between downtown Fort McMurray and YMM seven days a week, with stops at eight major hotels and at Keyano College. The bus stop is located curbside on the arrivals level.[32]

YMM offers over 2,200 parking stalls equipped with power outlets, including 430 short-term parking stalls and over 1,400 long-term parking stalls.[33]