At the last Council meeting, Commissioner of Municipal Operations from the City of Peterborough Ilmar Simanovskis, presented a community update about plans for the Peterborough Airport.
The objective was to stimulate interest in collaboration with municipalities in the region that might help stimulate economic growth in the region. The airport grounds are controlled by the City of Peterborough but are located within the boundaries of Cavan Monaghan. The facility was established on privately owned land during the 1960’s when the owner, with support from the city, built two turf runways. In 1967, the city of Peterborough purchased the land and two years later officially opened the Peterborough Municipal Airport, featuring a 5,000 foot hard surface runway and a small terminal building.
Today, twenty aviation business supporting 500 direct jobs are operating at this location in an employment park featuring services for recreational pilots, charter flight businesses and aviation education. The 7,000 foot runway can support narrow-body aircraft including the Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320 series with a maximum weight of 11,800 pounds. The facility is expected to face increasing demand with the closing of other small airports in the region including the Buttonville and Downsview facilities and management is touring local municipalities to engage support for its business expansion.
Because of its location, there has been an operating agreement between Cavan Monaghan and the City of Peterborough since 2012. Three years ago, the township sought to update this two-page agreement with the intention of adding some new terms, but have yet to receive an official response. Mr. Simanovskis indicated that a new proposal for the agreement is under review and is expected to be completed in the next few months. Any agreement would require the approval of both City and Cavan Monaghan councils.
Airport management plans to host a workshop with staff from Cavan Monaghan, Otonabee South Monaghan and Peterborough County to discuss planning and activity forecasts, water and wastewater servicing considerations, airport plans and activity forecasts. Mr. Simanovskis indicated that they are currently in negotiations with a proponent seeking to establish a second flight school as early as 2026. This school could potentially increase the air traffic volume by as much as 80%. A public consultation is required before this new business could become authorized to operate at this location which would include plans to address noise concerns that might arise from this new business.
Some of the issues to be discussed in these workshops are the alignment of land use in the area and the re-establishment of an Airport Community Liaison Group. This is a significant change in direction from an airport authority that has operated in isolation for many years. KG