Airport Master Plan
Your airport sits on land your community can put to work. A master plan answers what to do with those lands, how to develop them and how to get the best revenue from them, while keeping room for the airport to grow. We help you accomplish the mission.
Who Is It For?
Municipalities and regions that own or manage an airport, and the economic development teams that work with them. Most often, it starts with a question from council: what should we do with the airport lands?
What Does Cirrus Do?
A Vision for the Airport Lands
We set out what the airport and its lands should do for your local economy, in line with your council's goals and your region's economic development plans.
Demand, on the Ground and in the Air
We look at who would set up at your airport: aviation businesses that need a hangar or the runway, and other businesses that value the location. We also look at the flights the airport can expect.
Urban Planning and Zoning
We set the vocation of each area, airside or on the town side, and advise you and your urbanist on bringing the plan into your urban plan, your zoning bylaw and your region's land use plan. We also check that what gets built around the airport stays compatible with its operations.
Land Development and Lot Layout
We lay out the lots, the road access and the services they need, such as water, sewer and power, with the site constraints in view.
Preleasing and Built Area
Before anything is built, we validate tenant interest and demand, and size the buildings in square feet to match.
Revenue
We show where revenue can come from, such as land leases, hangar leases and services, and what each source would take, to help you get the best revenue from your lands.
The Aviation Side
We plan the runway, apron, hangar and terminal needs that match the demand, and the regulatory path, from consultation on new work to certification by Transport Canada when it applies.
Phasing
We put the projects in order, each tied to the demand behind it, and estimate the costs of each phase.
Already know the runway is the first project? See gravel runway maintenance and CBR testing.
Who Does the Work?
Our experts.
How Does a Master Plan Work?
- Your goals. We start with what your council wants from the airport and its lands.
- The site today. We review the lands, the facilities, the current zoning, the services in place and the constraints, with your planners.
- Demand and tenant interest. We validate the demand: the flights the airport can expect and the interest of the businesses that could set up there, before anything is drawn.
- Options. We compare development options for the lands and the airport, and recommend one.
- The plan. You get the land use plan, the lot layout, the built area, the phasing with the estimated costs of each phase and the aviation needs in one plan, with our zoning recommendations for your urbanist, ready for your council's decision. When a project goes ahead, it moves to preliminary design.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an airport master plan?
It is a strategic plan for the airport and its lands. Much like an economic development plan, it sets out what the lands should become, how to develop them, how to get the best revenue from them and what the airport needs to support it all, in phases.
What does a master plan usually include?
A portrait of the site, the demand from aviation and from other businesses, a land use plan with a vocation for each area, the lot layout and services, the facilities the airport will need, a recommended option, and the phasing with the estimated costs of each phase. Each plan is shaped to its airport.
Where can revenue from airport lands come from?
Land and hangar leases, services to tenants and the activity they bring are the usual sources. A master plan shows which ones fit your airport and what it would take to get there. It cannot promise a result, but it helps you aim for the best revenue from your lands.
Who decides the zoning on and around airport lands?
Outside the airport property, land use belongs to the province and the municipality, through your urban plan and zoning bylaw. Inside its boundary, the operator controls the land. Federal airport zoning regulations can limit heights near certified airports, but they cannot be made for an aerodrome that is not certified. A master plan gives you and your urbanist our recommendations to adjust your zoning and protect the airport and its future. The amendments stay with your municipality.
Sources: TP1247, Transport Canada Land Use Role and Part I; Transport Canada, Airport zoning regulations; Aeronautics Act, section 5.4.
Why check tenant interest before building?
Because a hangar or a serviced lot costs money before it earns any. Validating tenant interest first, and sizing the built area in square feet to what they need, keeps the first phase close to real demand.
Does a new runway or an extension need consultation?
For many aerodromes, yes. Aerodrome work such as a new runway or an extension can trigger a consultation with the parties set out in the regulations, including the local land use authority and nearby landowners. The master plan flags it early so it fits the phasing. Our aerodrome design work covers the consultation.
Sources: Canadian Aviation Regulations, sections 307.01, 307.03 and 307.04.
What about airport certification?
It can lay out the path. Transport Canada certifies airports; getting there takes an airport operations manual, a safety management system and facilities that meet TP312. The plan places those steps in the phasing when certification is part of your goals.
Sources: TP1247, section 1.2.
Official Sources
Wondering What to Do With Your Airport Lands?
Tell us about your airport. We'll tell you how we can help.
Talk to usOr email info@cirrusintelligence.ca