Kingston’s Norman Rogers Airport is about to launch its biggest expansion in decades in an effort to land new carriers, more flights and cheaper fares for passengers.

Richard Reed, manager of the city-owned airport, says work will begin this spring on the $16 million project; $9 million to extend the main north-south runway and $7 million to expand and reconfigure the passenger terminal.

“You can see us in the ground late March or early April with the terminal building and on the runway as soon as spring arrives. The completion date is estimated in October 2018,” he said.

Along with the physical expansion, city councillors approved spending $90,000 to develop a new business case study. The results will be used to try to improve the quality of air service for passengers.

“The aim of this study is to identify where passengers fly to, and with that information we’re going to develop a business case to take to the new ultra-low cost carriers as well as our current carrier, Air Canada,” Reed explained.

The last study gathered similar information from 2011, but Reed says a lot has changed in the aviation industry since then.

“The aviation scene has changed significantly. We have four new ultra-low cost carriers entering the market.”

He points to WestJet’s regional airline service, Swoop, as a potential competitor to the Jazz flights now provided by Air Canada.

Mayor Bryan Paterson says the city can’t hope to land more carriers, or to improve existing service with Jazz, without an updated business case. “I’m an economist so I appreciate the value of competition but even the threat of competition can sometimes help to stir change.”

He added: “But there are a number of other players in the market. We want to make sure they understand about the potential opportunity to offer flights in and out of Kingston.”

While council supports the expansion, and the updated business study, not everyone is pleased to see it going ahead.

Collins Bay Marina will be just 500 metres from the lengthened runway of Kingston’s airport

The owners of Collins Bay Marina are taking their fight to the Ontario Municipal Board in an attempt to show the city’s original studies were flawed and based on outdated methodology.

“We are worried that it’s going to kill our family business with the excess noise, and customers won’t want to stay,” said Lori Buzzi, whose family has owned and operated Collins Bay Marina for more than 45 years.

She says about 50 percent of boaters at the marina stay there all season. “The boats are their cottages. For transient boaters, their number one complaint is the airplane noise.”

The business is in the flight path of the airport’s main runway, which is slated to be lengthened to 6,000 feet – the minimum industry standard for commercial jet aircraft – from the current 5,000 feet.

The Buzzi’s say adding an extra 1,000 feet of runway will lead to an increase in airplane size, air traffic and noise. Their marina at 1270 Coverdale Drive, near the entrance to Lemoine Point Conservation Area, will be just 500 metres away from the longer runway.

However, Reed stands by the results of city-commissioned environmental, air quality and noise-related impact studies, adding the airport has taken additional steps to address concerns from the neighbours.

“We are very confident in the information that was given to us by our consultants.”

He added: “In fact we’ve changed the approach path to the main runway so that aircraft will be approaching at a higher angle.”

Officials insist that most airplanes can take off or land in less than a minute – generating less noise and duration than a freight train – and the newer generation of planes have quieter engines.

An estimated 71,000 people fly out of Kingston’s airport every year – about one-tenth of Kingston’s air passenger base. Most travelers currently opt to fly directly from larger airports such as Toronto, Ottawa or Syracuse, New York.

Mayor Paterson believes there is a business case to be made for other airlines to fly out of Kingston.

“At the end of the day I don’t really care what airline it is, I just want more flights, better service, lower prices and better options for Kingston residents.”