Tofino airport improvements boost travel options
Long Beach Lodge Resort visitors and accommodation providers in resort town benefit.Flying into Tofino, B.C. is going to be a little easier thanks to $1.27 million from the province’s new B.C. Air Access Program.
It’s welcome news for Tofino hotels and businesses in the Vancouver Island resort town, one of British Columbia’s top tourist destinations.
“It’s fantastic. It’s really great news for us,” Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne told the Times Colonist newspaper.
The funds will allow for fixed-wing aircraft to make night landings at Tofino-Long Beach Airport. The changes will provide more options for emergency personnel in those rare cases someone needs to be medically evacuated.
The runway lights will also make it easier for tourists who travel to Tofino for storm watching, something the West Coast city has turned into a popular attraction.
In an Aug. 5, 2015, statement about the funding, the provincial government said “Tofino, Ucuelet, Long Beach and the surrounding areas are known for their world-class tourism attractions and experiences. Adding new runway lighting will allow the airport to expand its services, especially with the expected increase in tourists visiting the area, and ultimately encouraging further economic growth in the region.”
In the summer, the region is a world-famous destination known for people seeking the sun, surf and sand of Long Beach near Tofino. The beach is the longest and largest beach in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, which is served by world-class resorts such as Long Beach Lodge Resort in Tofino.
Long Beach Airport, located between Tofino and Ucluelet, has three runways that are each 5,000-foot-long. Its terminal building opened in 2010, though the original airport was built during the Second World War as a Department of National Defence airbase.
Three commercial carriers offer regular flights, while private and chartered aircraft also use the airport, which serves about 20,000 passengers per year.
“The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District welcomes the provincial funding support for the Long Beach Airport (CYAZ) airfield lighting project,” Osborne said. “The airport continues to grow and prosper as a critical transportation link for the west coast of Vancouver Island. This funding will help us provide a more reliable and accessible transportation link to the rest of the province, and a foundation for ongoing safety enhancements at the airport.”
The regional district, which owns and operates the airport, will contribute just over $424,000 toward the project in Tofino, B.C.
