Release date: 
Friday, August 17, 2012

The Ottawa International Airport Authority is very happy to announce that the reconstruction of Runway 07/25 has been completed - early and under budget. The $14 million project, funded by the Airport Improvement Fee and officially launched on June 1st, was originally scheduled to be completed in early fall. Thanks to a variety of factors, the Authority is set to open the runway to aircraft traffic tomorrow, August 18th.

The major contributing factor to the success of the project was the dedication and hard work of the crews. R.W. Tomlinson Ltd., the general contractor, and Black & McDonald, the prime sub-contractor, along with the rest of our construction partners, worked 16-hour days, 6 days per week during most of the project to ensure that it was kept on track.

The runway was last resurfaced in 1994, when the airport was managed by Transport Canada, prior to the establishment of the Airport Authority and transfer of operational responsibility in 1997. It met the Transport Canada standards that were in place at the time. The finished runway now exceeds these standards and meets those of the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United States Federal Aviation Authority.

“I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this project not for only their hard work, but for also for their understanding of why it was important to finish it as quickly as possible” said Paul Benoit, Airport Authority President and CEO. “From installing a temporary asphalt plant on-site, to careful project management, our construction partners did a fantastic job and we now have a new runway that will serve our community for several decades”.

“We know that the project had an impact on the community” said Gilles Lalonde, Chairman of the Airport Authority’s Board of Directors. He continued, “Some areas experienced a summer free of aircraft noise, while others endured noise that they have not experienced in the past. I would like to thank Ottawa-Gatineau residents for their patience and understanding throughout this project”.

OMCIAA operates Ottawa International Airport without government subsidies under a 60-year lease transfer agreement with Transport Canada. The OMCIAA’s mandate is to manage, operate and develop airport facilities and lands in support of the economic growth of the National Capital Region.