The Olds-Didsbury Airport remains an important asset for the entire region, according to stakeholders who took part in a recent tour of the facility.
Owned by Mountain View County and operated by the Olds and Didsbury Flying Association (ODFA), the airport is located just west of Highway 2A between Olds and Didsbury.
Those in attendance at the tour included ODFA manager and pilot Greg Neufeld.
Having a high-quality airport in the county has numerous benefits, he said.
“We want to show that the airport has value, that it contributes to the economics of the community,” said Neufeld. “We have a good group of people here who are managing and operating the airport. Businesses that are looking for a place that would benefit from being near an airport can come here and feel comfortable that their investment in this airport community will be looked after.”
The ODFA currently has about 60 active members.
The association would like to see the airport continue to grow, he said.
“We’re always looking at expansion,” he said. “One of the main expansion items we are looking at is a runway extension of plus or minus 500 feet. That’s about a $500,000 capital expenditure.”
An extended runway would allow a larger variety of aircraft to use the facility, he said.
“It would increase the diversity and size of the aircraft. This would certainly open that. We have Jet A fuel here now, so it could bring in jets and turbine aircraft.”
Lights at the airport will be replaced this year.
“The county has committed to making that happen,” he said. “The lights are in the 25- and 30-year range and have reached the end of their life expectancy. We will be changing those over to LED lights.”
The airport is a great community asset, he said.
“It gives the community so much diversity,” he said.
The May 14 tour of the airport included visits to several hangars, as well as comments from dignitaries.
Mountain View County deputy reeve Angela Aalbers attended the tour.
“I think this regional airport is extremely important not only to Mountain View County but obviously to our urban partners as well,” said Aalbers, the councillor for Division 5.
“Council hasn’t seen a request for an expanded runway yet in the 2018 budget. It might be something that comes forward in the 2019 budget or later but the (airport) committee is reviewing that right now.
“We think the flying association is doing a great job in the way they are running and operating the airport. If they see a requirement for updates then they will bring it forward to council for consideration.”
Didsbury mayor Rhonda Hunter and Olds mayor Michael Muzychka also attended the tour.
Hunter called the airport a great regional asset.
“Incidental tourism is one of the benefits of having the airport,” said Hunter. “Hopefully people arriving at the airport will take time to come visit us in Didsbury. It is nothing but good for the whole area.”
Muzychka called the airport an important economic driver for the district, including as a training facility.
Bernard Gervais, president and CAO of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, and Terry Krause with Alberta Hail Suppression also gave addresses during the tour.
Mountain View County also owns the Sundre Airport.
