The Fort McMurray Airport Authority (FMAA) is developing a new Area Structure Plan (ASP). The plan will enable Fort McMurray International Airport to diversify its revenue sources, support the development of non-aeronautical revenue, and develop regional businesses. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) requested the plan, and the airport is responding. ASPs are land use plans unique to Alberta.
OEI is pleased to be a member of the team of consultants charged with developing a flexible ASP that will reframe the economic direction of the airport. The team is led by Patricia Maloney Consulting and includes collaborative expertise from OEI, Explorer Solutions, and Dillon Consulting Limited.
Fort McMurray, with a population of approximately 70,000, is a 4.5-hour (430 km) drive northeast of Edmonton near the Saskatchewan border. The airport, commonly known as YMM, is the largest in northern Alberta, with an air terminal building that can accommodate two million passengers a year.
The keystone to the development of the ASP is 263 hectares of undeveloped land south of the active airport and included in its land grant from the province. The ASP will develop the best and highest uses for the land. The area will be studied and assessed for road access and safety, water and sewage, storm water management, as well as other development factors.
The new ASP and strategic planning will also reflect how the world outside the airport has altered since the shutdown of the global pandemic. Airports, especially regional airports, must operate understanding how Canadians now travel for leisure (with more domestic travel, less flying, and more driving) and how they conduct business (i.e., less travel for meetings and conferences, more virtual gatherings).
The project is expected to be completed by early 2026.