On March 2, 1,800 athletes, artists, coaches and managers will be leaving the Yukon College dormitory and new people will be arriving. That means a big rush at Whitehorse International Airport. From about 6 p.m. on March 2 to 4 a.m. on March 3, the tiny Whitehorse International is likely to be the busiest airport in the country, according to Robb Andison, Airport Venue Team Leader.

All airplanes needed at the airport within this short time frame was a problem for the Airport Venue Team. Because of the airport’s location in our mountainous terrain, Transport Canada does not allow more than four planes to be on the tarmac at once. Even in the height of the tourist season, the airport rarely sees as many as two planes on the tarmac at once. Thankfully, Transport Canada has granted special permission for the airport to have as many planes as needed for the Games.

At the airport, there will be up to six planes at once at the airport and thousands of people will be passing through. To accommodate such a large crowd, an extra walk-through metal detector and a special x-ray machine for oversized bags have been installed. Air North will be coordinating all the planes and extra baggage handling on the ground.
Special thanks go to Airport Venue Team Volunteers.

By Jennifer McDermott