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Aviation sector taking off with airshow success

The Edmonton Airshow has grown since being launched in 2015 and since then the aviation sector as grown with it in the region
 2906 Air show - CF-18_Hornet
Capt. Brian Kilroy will pilot the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) 2019 Demo Jet coming to the Edmonton Airshow in August. The 2019 CF-18 Demo theme "To the Stars" celebrates the journey that led not only to a modern RCAF but the key cultural and technological innovations that led us to the stars. – Image by Corp. Arthur Ark / Aerial Imagery Specialist

The aviation sector is taking flight in Sturgeon County thanks in part to the success of the Edmonton Airshow.

The annual event, which launched in 2015, draws thousands to the Villeneuve Airport for two days of aerial showmanship. This year’s lineup includes staples like the Canadian Forces Snowbirds as well as some special guests like the A-10C Thunderbolt II demo team from Arizona.

During a media conference on Wednesday, June 26, organizers and officials with Sturgeon County and the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) played up the economic benefit of developing the aviation industry in the area.

Traci Bednard, a spokesperson with the EIA, said the economic impact of the event alone was more than $3 million while the Villeneuve Airport generates an economic output of $62 million and a gross domestic product (GDP) impact of $31 million based on 2017 numbers.

Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said there are a lot of components in place to see aviation in the area succeed, including excellent learning institutions for artificial intelligence and machinery.

“We know we have the talent and we know we have space,” she said. “We have a skilled workforce that can diversify. If the opportunities are available, I really believe we’ll be able to attract the people and knowledge that isn’t here and then develop the knowledge that is here. I think it is an opportunity for people who live here to work in a sector that they otherwise wouldn’t have had an opportunity to.”

Hnatiw said as the airshow has grown, so too has the aviation industry in the area. She said it’s the county’s job to support the industry as it continues to grow but she added council sets a high bar for not only themselves but for businesses as well.

“It just makes sense that when you have like-minded people, you stand in when you can and support one another,” she said. “(It is) our jobs as leaders in the region to look at what is underdeveloped, what needs a little energy, a little attention and then let things take root.”

The county isn’t providing any financial contribution to the airshow but instead in-kind support by providing services like emergency response.

Richard Skermer, the organizer of the airshow, said he hopes to one day elevate the airshow to the same notoriety as the Calgary Stampede. Before a plane ever takes flight, he explained, men, women and companies all work together to put the aircraft together.

“We want to be that networking event that is internationally recognized in order to attract investors and locate those businesses and jobs here,” he said. “We want to create a network where landowners and developers can source opportunities for their portfolio. We want to have investors come to the region and see our facilities like the international airport – augmented by the Villeneuve Airport  – can be even bigger and better and even larger assets for Alberta as we’re open for business in the world.”

The fifth annual airshow runs from Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18. The airshow will also feature Jacquie B, the Erickson Collection, de Havilland DH-115 and Yellow Thunder. Tickets went on sale in May and can be purchased online at edmontonairshow.com.

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