PORT HASTINGS: Those in charge of the local airport have announced the consturuction of a new hangar and de-icing facility.
A press release issued by Celtic Air Services on Sept. 21 said new upgrades to the Allan J. MacEachen Airport will see the construction of a 10,000 square foot aircraft hangar and a de-icing facility that will provide the Strait area with greater access to timely emergency services, including Emergency Health Services (EHS) LifeFlight aircraft, during the winter.
Celtic Air Services co-owners David Morgan and EverWind Fuels CEO Trent Vichie said the privately funded upgrades are vital for the area.
Morgan, who is President of Celtic Air, said EHS LifeFlights are the most important flights that use the facility.
“This will allow EHS to come in during weather in which we’re accumulating icing or in which we have icy conditions where we have ice build-up on the aircraft,” Morgan told The Reporter. “In the past, they’ve been unable to do so because we couldn’t de-ice them, we couldn’t shelter them from the storm. So even if we manage to keep the runway open, unfortunately, they wouldn’t be able to dispatch into the airport. Having new de-icing equipment and facilities, as well as the hangar available, if an aircraft has to be pushed inside to get out of the weather, I think that’s the most important thing that this hangar will accomplish. There’s no worse feeling than going out to the airport for a medivac, and all of a sudden there’s wet snow coming down and we know there’s people that have to be transferred by ground ambulance instead because we couldn’t have the air ambulance come in.”
Vichie said community leaders expressed their desire for improvements and the co-owners are happy to make this investment. He said the ability to land and house planes to provide emergency services in the winter is vital.
“We’re part of the community and I want to be supporting what’s important to the community,” he told The Reporter. “Saving people’s lives and emergency response is pretty important.”
Vichie, who is finalizing plans for a green hydrogen facility in Point Tupper, said the upgrades are key to the safety and sustainability of the region. As green hydrogen expands into the area, a year-round link is important.
“It’s a shared community benefit; it’s a shared community asset,” he noted. “Our investment there is to support the community and to provide resources for the broader community, and hopefully over time, it can support the economic development, but it’s really broad social purpose.”
Celtic Air said the investment of almost $1 million will allow the new hangar to accommodate aircraft with up to a 70-foot wingspan.
“All this development that we have going on with all these great projects that are happening, and all this excitement in the Strait area, we definitely want people to be able to fly in and stay during the winter,” said Morgan. “Not many people were able to do that in the past because they didn’t want to leave their aircraft outside. We see this as developing some winter market, and also just providing us with what’s been needed for some time as well.”
Morgan noted that the new hangar and de-icing facility will attract new business, as well as improve safety.
“For us, it positions us well for serving our current client better and for lengthening that season,” he said. “Before this, we could sort of roll the runway up in mid-December when the snow comes and roll it back out when winter is over. Now we’re hoping to develop year-round traffic. We think it’s necessary for the development of the Strait region for these projects that are underway. They’re going to need people to be able to travel year round and it’s just a piece of supporting infrastructure that’s badly needed.”
The Emergency Health Services Lifeflight has two Sikorsky S76C+ helicopters and a King Air B200 twin turboprop plane, the airport owners said, noting that on average, EHS Lifeflight completes over 1,000 missions a year.
The news was welcomed by Nova Scotia Minister of Health and Wellness, and Antigonish MLA, Michelle Thompson.
“Upgraded access for EHS Lifeflight services at the Allan J. MacEachen Airport is a welcome change,” she said in a press release. “New infrastructure that allows our teams to operate in winter weather will mean medical professionals can get to patients in need more efficiently and will certainly play an important role in improving our health care system.”
Morgan said the new facility will be “an extension of the existing apron area.”
While Morgan was unable to provide the name of the contactor he is working with, the press release noted that the plan is for construction to begin in the fall with an expectation to be operational in early 2023.
“I can tell you that we’re working with a local contractor to complete the civil work, starting in the next week or so, so that’s pretty exciting,” Morgan stated. “We’re getting the property scrubbed off and levelled for the engineers to conduct their testing on the ground; the compaction rates there and come up with a drainage plan, and so on. The idea is that we would like to complete this before the winter hits in full force. We’re not sure that we can achieve that goal but we’re going to have everybody pulling in the same direction to try to do it.”
The airport is situated on land owned by the Town of Port Hawkesbury.
“The Allan J MacEachen Regional Airport is a critical part of the Strait and western Cape Bretons’ transportation hub of road, railroad and air infrastructure,” said Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton. “Given the emerging green hydrogen industry, as well as the retention and attraction of other growing sectors like tourism, marine-based industries, transport and manufacturing, these upgrades are great news for the region.”
Along with the Municipality of the County of Inverness and the Town of Port Hawkesbury, the Municipality of the County of Richmond also sits on the board overseeing the airport.
“Richmond County is attracting international attention as a potential hydrogen production hub,” Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette said. “Our deep-water port, plentiful greenfield sites, and marine assets are positioning us well for growth. The Allan J MacEachen Airport is a key asset in ensuring we have robust air access to the region to support that growth and the safety of people located here.”