Photo courtesy of St. John's International Airport Authority 

St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland’s principle airport and also the eastern-most airport in North America, has recently welcomed a new airport-adjacent hotel as well significant airport improvements.

Earlier this month, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites St. John’s International Airport became St. John’s first airport hotel. Located just minutes from the city's downtown core, the 120-room property offers convenient access to the Trans Canada Highway as well as Clovelly Golf Course, Signal Hill and the Cape Spear National Historic Sites.

The hotel is owned by MP LIMITED PARTNERSHIP and managed by Urgo Hotels Canada under the leadership of General Manager Greg Ivany.

“We are delighted to continue to expand the growing network of Holiday Inn Express hotels in Canada’s North East Coast and are especially pleased to have Greg Ivany leading the hotel opening,” said Serge Primeau, vice president of operations and development at Urgo Hotels Canada.

On-site facilities and amenities include an indoor pool and fitness center, a business center and 1,800 square feet of event space, as well as free Wi-Fi throughout the property. Every guestroom features custom artwork by St. John’s-born artist James Miller.

“It is especially rewarding to see this project come to fruition and offer guests the first hotel located directly at the airport in St. John’s – one that highlights the work of exceptional local artists,” said Primeau.

The airport also recently announced that it has completed its three-year, C$ 37.3 million Airfield Accessibility and Safety Initiative. As part of the initiative, a new Category III Instrument Landing Systems (CAT III ILS) is now fully operational at both ends of the primary runway. St. John’s International Airport has become the only airport in Canada serving less than 10 million passengers to feature such a system.

“…the completion of this project [will] have significant, long-term benefits for our city and our province. The improved reliability of our airport will enhance the attractiveness of our region for business investment and tourism for many years to come,” said Art Cheeseman, Chair of the St. John’s International Airport Authority Board of Directors.

The new guidance system will significantly increase airport accessibility during low-visibility conditions. Airport officials estimate that the new system will significantly increase on-time performance, allowing 700 new flights and 70,000 new passengers to land without delays or cancellations per year. Which, hope execs, should help improve the airport’s reputation for inaccessibility during Atlantic Canada's unpredicatble foggy season.

In tandem with the installation of the guidance system, the airport also completed a C$15 million rehabilitation of its primary airport runway.

Also pending for the airport is two-phase expansion of the Airport Terminal Building. The first phase, already under construction, will add 145,000 square feet to the existing building. Scheduled for completion by 2018, the expansion will increase the concessions and services available to passengers. Phase II, or the west expansion, will commence in 2017 and add a further 72,000 square feet to the terminal with construction conentrated mostly in the arrivals area, adding baggage carousals, three additional gates and passenger loading bridges and an expanded Customs and Immigration area. Once complete, the Airport Terminal Building will more than double in size, encompassing nearly 400,000 square feet.

For more information, visit www.stjohnsairport.com or www.destinationstjohns.com. 

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