Vancouver International Airport

Vancouver International Airport
IATA: YVR – ICAO: CYVR – WMO: 71892
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Transport Canada
Operator		Vancouver Airport Authority
Serves		Metro Vancouver
Location		Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Hub for		Air Canada Air Transat
Elevation AMSL		14 ft / 4 m
Coordinates		49°11′41″N 123°11′02″W / 49.19472°N 123.18389°W / 49.19472; -123.18389Coordinates: 49°11′41″N 123°11′02″W / 49.19472°N 123.18389°W / 49.19472; -123.18389
Website		www.yvr.ca
Map
CYVR Location in Vancouver
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
08L/26R	9,940	3,030	Concrete
08R/26L	11,500	3,505	Asphalt/Concrete
12/30	7,300	2,225	Asphalt/Concrete
Helipads
Number	Length		Surface
	ft	m
A			Unmarked arrival/departure hover area
B	79	24	Asphalt
C	110	34	Concrete
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft movements			296,942
Number of passengers			17,596,901 (2,012)
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[1] Environment Canada[2] Movements from Vancouver Airport Authority[3] Passenger statistics from Vancouver Airport Authority.[3]

Vancouver International Airport (IATA: YVR, ICAO: CYVR) is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about 12 km (7.5 mi) from Downtown Vancouver. In 2011 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements (296,942^[3]) and passengers (17.0 million^[3]), behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to Asia, Europe, Oceania, the United States, and Mexico, and other airports within Canada. The airport has won several notable international best airport awards; it won the Skytrax Best North American Airport award in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 the second, third, fourth and fifth time respectively it has received the honour (the first was in 2007). It is the only North American Airport included in the top 10 for 2013.^[4][5][6][7] YVR also retains the distinction of Best Canadian Airport in the regional results.^[8] It is a hub for Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Transat as well as a focus city for WestJet. Vancouver International Airport is one of eight Canadian airports that have US Border Preclearance facilities. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has been named, "The Best Airport in North America".^[9] The airport also made the list of top 10 airports in the world, rated at 9th overall, for the first time in 2012. In 2013 it is rated 8th overall worldwide.^[4] It is also one of the few big international airports to have a terminal for scheduled floatplanes.

Vancouver International Airport is owned by Transport Canada^[10] and is managed by Vancouver Airport Authority,^[11] which also manages other airports around the world through its Vancouver Airport Services subsidiary.

History [edit]

In 1927 Charles Lindbergh refused to include Vancouver in his North American tour because of the lack of a proper airport. Two years later the city purchased land on Sea Island for aviation purposes, replacing the original grass airstrip at Minoru Park. During World War II the airports and its original terminal, now the South Terminal, would be leased to the Federal government, and operated by the Department of National Defence and the Department of Transport. The airport was a base for Royal Canadian Air Force training, the crews and their families housed in a new townsite on the island, named Burkeville after Boeing president Stanley Burke. Funds from the lease were used to purchase additional land for new hangars and a production plant for Boeing Aircraft of Canada.^[12]

Airport diagrams for 1956 and 1959

The present main terminal was completed in 1968 and has been expanded to include separate domestic and international terminals. A north runway was completed in 1996.

In 2011 the airport announced that it will encourage airlines to start more flights between Vancouver and Asia.^[13]

Gateway [edit]

Due to its proximity to Asia in relation to the rest of Canada, as well as the large Asian population and Canadian-Asian business connections in the region, Vancouver International Airport is the major gateway between Canada and Asia. It has more transpacific flights than any other airport in Canada.

On March 1, 2010 the day after the conclusion of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the airport was expected to set a record for daily traffic, with an estimated increase of 39,000 departing passengers, in addition to the 2009 daily average of 22,000 arrivals.

Terminals [edit]

Vancouver International Airport has three terminals:

• the Domestic Terminal, which was constructed in 1968 by Vancouver, BC based firm Thompson, Berwick and Pratt^[14] and recently given a top-to-bottom renovation by Vancouver architect Kasian Kennedy^{[15][dead link]}

• the International Terminal, which includes a US Preclearance Annex for US-bound flights, was built by Chicago-based Architectura with Kansas CIty-based HNTB Corporation (1994-96)^[14]

• the South Terminal, which is a portion of the original terminal that is still in use. This is considered to include the floatplane terminal.

The International and Domestic terminals could be considered to be one very large building divided into two sections, while the South terminal is located in a remote part of the airport. The South Terminal serves regional airlines which fly mostly within British Columbia. The International Terminal serves international destinations, with most US-bound flights utilising the US Border Preclearance facilities in the International Terminal.

The South Terminal houses the corporate headquarters of Pacific Coastal Airlines.^[16]

YVR is one of eight Canadian airports that has United States border preclearance facilities. The International terminal utilizes glass partitions to physically separate US-bound passengers from others from customs through to boarding. As a result, not all airport retail shops are available to all passengers.

Free high speed Wi-Fi internet access is available in the International and Domestic Terminals.

Architecture [edit]

Vancouver International Airport's interior has a uniquely British Columbian theme, featuring one of the most extensive collections of Pacific Northwest Coast Native art in the world, and blues and greens to reflect the colours of the land, sea and sky. The airport uses a great deal of carpet and vast expanses of glass to let in large amounts of natural light. One of the most noticeable places for an arriving passenger is the International arrivals hall, a large area where customs and immigration procedures are completed. Arriving passengers come down escalators leading to a platform across a large waterfall. The YVR aboriginal art collection includes wooden sculptures and totem poles. Bill Reid's sculpture in bronze, "The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, The Jade Canoe", is displayed in the international departures area. The Institute for stained glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at Vancouver International Airport.^[17]

Accessibility [edit]

Vancouver International Airport is well regarded as one of the most accessible airports in the world. In 2004, the Vancouver International Airport was awarded of the Rick Hansen Accessibility Award, which recognizes "facilities and communities that improve the quality of life for people with mobility limitations".^[18] The Vancouver International Airport has exceeded national building code requirements with respect to access for people with disabilities, which Hansen has stressed, "benefits not only people in wheelchairs, but the elderly, the blind, parents pushing strollers and everyone else with mobility problems".^[18]

Since 1992, the Vancouver Airport Authority has been working with an independent accessibility consultant to eliminate the physical barriers in the built environment, and is "committed to providing fully accessible terminal facilities for people of all backgrounds and capabilities".^[19] With 80% of the vacationing traveling public over the age of 55, and with more than 550 million people world-wide that have a disability, the Vancouver International Airports commitment to meaningful access is a fundamental part of good customer service.^[20]

Designated short-term parking spaces and curb-side ramps are available on each level of the terminal building for vehicles displaying a valid SPARC permit, and are located next to main doors near check-in counters and baggage claim areas for easier access. Lowered counters with toe clearance for wheelchair users are also available at check-in, customer care, and all retail outlets in the Vancouver Airport. Bathrooms have also been designed to be wheelchair accessible with doorless and no-touch entry features, lowered sinks, and handsfree bathroom dispensers. Grab bars and emergency call buttons are also present in all wheelchair accessible toilet stalls.^[21]

Low resistance carpeting and other materials such as laminate flooring have been utilized throughout the airport to make it easier for people using wheelchairs and walkers to move throughout the airport. Elevators are large and allow for easy turning in a wheelchair, and special wheelchairs designed to fit down aircraft isles are utilized to assist with boarding and deplaning. Wheelchair lifts have been installed at aircraft gates to provide disabled passengers with their own wheelchairs as quickly as possible after an aircraft lands in Vancouver.^[19]

Features that have been implemented throughout the Vancouver Airport to aid those with hearing loss include a public address system that is designed to reduce noise pollution for those with hearing aids. The Vancouver Airport has installed more individual speakers in a given space than is standard, which allows the volume of the speakers to be turned down and provides a better quality of sound. At check-in counters, amplified handsets are available to aid those with hearing aids, and all telephones throughout the airport have adjustable volume controls. "Visual pagers" are dedicated video monitors that are located throughout the airport and convey important information to travellers that have hearing impairments. In the event of an emergency, a video override system displays large bold messages on all entertainment systems, and provides information about the type of emergency and the required coarse of action from the public. Strobe fire alarms have also been installed throughout the airport, and have been carefully programmed to prevent seizures to those with epilepsy.^[21] The Vancouver Airport has its own TTY telephone number for incoming inquiries about airport operations, and within the terminal there are also 23 public telephone equipped with TTY at both stand up and seated positions.^[21]

Vancouver Airport also has numerous features that have been implemented to assist visually impaired travellers. Three types of flooring are utilized throughout the terminal and function as a texturized guide to assist travellers in identifying their location within the airport. In areas with tile or terrazzo, patterns in the tile help to identify exits. Areas that have carpet help to identify that a gate is close by, and areas with laminate flooring indicate retail spaces.^[19] Tactile maps are also available at customer service counters throughout the airport, and braille and tactile lettering are used throughout the airport to indicate building features such as washrooms.^[21]

Green Coat Ambassadors [edit]

Vancouver Airport Authority was one of the first airports in North America to institute a volunteer program in 1989.^[22] Volunteers in green vest/jacket are deployed around the airport to provide information, customer service and be the 'eyes and ears' for the various partners in the airport community between the hours of 6 am to 10 pm everyday.^[23] Volunteers are given basic training in airport operations and undertake many of the similar trainings mandated to airport employees. Each volunteer is required to obtain Transportation Security Clearance and Restricted Area Identification Card for the purposes of accessing the restricted and sterile areas of the terminal.

Airlines and destinations [edit]

Air Canada domestic check-in facilities at the Domestic Terminal.

All official signage in the terminal buildings is trilingual (English, French, and Chinese).

International arrivals hall

US Preclearance Annexe of the International Terminal's check-in hall.

A Canadian Aboriginal wood sculpture, located on the first floor of the domestic terminal.

The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, the Jade Canoe, located on the International departure level

Cathay Pacific Cargo plane taking off on a snowy day

Aerial shot showing Georgia Strait near airport

Korean Air flight bound to Seoul-Incheon being serviced.

Scheduled airlines and destinations [edit]

Charter airlines and destinations [edit]

Cargo [edit]

Cost [edit]

In May 2005, the federal government, which owns the land, announced it was cutting rent costs by 54%. The rent reductions will cut the cost of the lease by approximately $840 million CAD between 2006–2020, or $5.0 billion CAD over the term of the lease, which ends in 2052. Currently, the airport authority pays about $80 million CAD each year in rent.

Passengers traveling through YVR are no longer required to pay a separate Airport Improvement Fee; it now is included in the price of a ticket.

Public transit connections [edit]

Rapid transit [edit]

Construction of the Skytrain Canada Line .

The international and domestic terminals are served by YVR–Airport Station, a terminus station of the Canada Line. A link building ($117 million, completed in 2007) links the international terminal with the domestic terminal, and serves as the arrival and departure area for users of the Canada Line. The Canada Line, one of three existing lines of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit network, opened in August 2009, in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics in the following February. Vancouver's airport is the only one in Canada with a rail rapid transit connection. Vancouver International Airport contributed $300 million to the Canada Line construction.

Bus [edit]

Late at night and during Canada Line service interruptions, the N10 night bus connects the airport's international and domestic terminals to Richmond and downtown Vancouver. The airport's south terminal is served by the C92 bus, which connects to the Canada Line at Bridgeport Station.

Future expansion [edit]

YVR recently completed a $1.4-billion, multi-year capital development plan, which included a four-gate expansion to the International Terminal Wing, completed in June 2007. Two of the four new gates are conventional wide-bodied gates, and two are able to accommodate the Airbus A380. The international terminal addition has several examples of beauty in British Columbia, including a stream in a pathway and fish and jellyfish tanks.

Also recently completed was a five-gate and food and retail expansion in the Domestic Terminal's C-Pier, completed in 2009, and the Canada Line rapid transit link between YVR, Richmond and downtown Vancouver, which opened in August 2009.

Vancouver International Airport Authority has developed a 2007-2027 Master Plan and Land Use Plan, a look forward 20 years to ensure YVR will be able to accommodate the passengers it expects. It is asking the community for input and toured local malls with an informational display to elicit feedback. The tour is complete, but the public can still provide feedback through the Master Plan section of the YVR website, where a copy of the draft Master Plan recommendations is also available.^[32]

Operation Yellow Ribbon [edit]

The airport's reputation as a premier gateway airport between Asia and North America was made evident during Operation Yellow Ribbon on September 11, 2001. With U.S. airspace closed as a result of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, there was no choice for Vancouver International Airport but to take part in the operation since it was the only major Canadian airport on the West Coast of Canada that has the capability of handling large aircraft for trans-Pacific flights. The airport handled 34 flights—third highest total of flight that landed at a Canadian airport involved in the operation, behind Halifax and Gander—carrying 8,500 passengers—more passengers than any other Canadian airport—from Asia to destinations on the United States West Coast and points beyond.

The airport won the 2001 Airport Management Award from the B.C. Aviation Council^[33] and was cited for overcoming many challenges in a professional and compassionate way.^[34]

FBOs [edit]

There are several fixed base operators that service aircraft at Vancouver International Airport:

• Esso Avitat (Esso/Imperial Oil)
• Million Air (Air BP)
• Landmark Aviation (Shell Canada)

Other facilities [edit]

At one time Pacific Western Airlines had its corporate headquarters at the airport.^[35]

Accidents and incidents [edit]

YVR ATC Tower

• On February 7, 1968, a Canadian Pacific Airlines Boeing 707 overran a runway, and hit a building, while landing in heavy fog, killing one crew member.

• On March 1, 1970, Vickers Viscount CF-THY of Air Canada collided in mid-air with Ercoupe 415 CF-SHN on approach to Vancouver International Airport. The Ercoupe pilot was killed.^[36]

• On August 19, 1995, Douglas C-47B C-GZOF of Air North crashed on approach killing one of the three crew. The aircraft was on a ferry flight to Prince Rupert Airport when the starboard propellor went into overspeed and the decision was made to return to Vancouver International.^[37]

• On October 19, 1995, a Canadian Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aborted takeoff on runway 26 (now 26L) two seconds after the V₁ call. The aircraft ended up in the soft ground west of the end of runway, causing the failure of the nose gear. All 243 passengers and 14 crew escaped with no more than minor injuries.^[38]

• On September 11, 2001, an Air China 747 from Beijing to San Francisco, was escorted by two U.S. F-15s onto the airport's north runway during Operation Yellow Ribbon, apparently due to a communication problem.

• On October 14, 2007, a Polish immigrant, Robert Dziekanski, died after being shot with a taser by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the airport. Dziekański, who did not speak English, became agitated after waiting approximately 10 hours at the arrivals hall because he could not find his mother. While police were attempting to take Dziekanski into custody he was tased by officers and subsequently died. The subsequent Braidwood Inquiry began in May 2008. In June, 2010, the judge found that the use of the Taser was not justified. The RCMP issued an apology to Dziekanski's mother. The commission also found that Tasers have the capability to injure or kill by causing heart irregularities, especially where the individual is medically or emotionally compromised.^[39]

• On October 19, 2007, at approximately 4:10 pm, a Piper Seneca bound for Pitt Meadows Airport took off from YVR and crashed into a nearby apartment building in Richmond. The pilot was the sole occupant of the plane. He was killed in the crash. Two others were injured, both of whom were in the apartment building at the time.

• On September 18, 2008, in the afternoon, an Air Canada Airbus A340 collided with an Air Canada Jazz Dash 8 aircraft. The Jazz flight was taxiing on the runway when it collided. The Air Canada flight was bound for Hong Kong. Both aircraft received damage but there were no injuries or fatalities.

• On July 9, 2009, at approximately 10:08pm, a Piper Navajo airplane originating from Victoria crashed into an industrial area in Richmond, across from IKEA on Sweden Way. The two pilots were killed. It was owned and operated by Canadian Air Charters and was carrying units of blood for Canadian Blood Services at the time. Officials say that wake turbulence was the main cause of the crash. Fatigue, along with diminished depth perception in darkness, was also a factor.^[40]

• On May 15, 2010, at just before 11:00am, a Cathay Pacific Airbus A340 commercial flight from Hong Kong was intercepted by two Canadian CF-18 Hornets in response to a bomb threat. The plane landed with no incidents, and ultimately no bomb was found on board.^[41][42]

• On October 27, 2011, at around 4:15pm, a Northern Thunderbird Air Beechcraft King Air 100 attempted to land on the south runway but missed by about 900 metres, hitting a lamppost and car, then crashing on nearby Russ Baker Way and Gilbert Road at the west end of Dinsmore Bridge. There were seven passengers and two crew members on board; only the pilot was confirmed dead at 9:00 pm that evening, while the others survived with various injuries. Two on the ground were also injured.^[43] On November 16, 2011, the co-pilot of the flight died as well.^[44]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

	Vancouver portal
	Aviation portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vancouver International Airport

• Vancouver International Airport Authority
• Vancouver International Airport page on Places to Fly, the airport directory of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
• Vancouver International Airport Authority Union
• Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Vancouver International Airport from Nav Canada as available.