It took an hour for Vancouver Airport’s president and CEO to reply to congratulatory emails that flooded his inbox from across the globe last week.
Not that Craig Richmond was complaining when he spoke to the News on Tuesday, as YVR was still basking in the warmth of being named the Airport of the Year at the prestigious CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence, hosted in Amsterdam and given to the airport that has been a strategic leader and has done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry globally.
YVR’s award — given in the past to the likes of Singapore’s Changi Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Beijing Capital International Airport — is a first for a North American airport.
And the significance of this particular milestone on YVR’s path is not lost on Richmond, who noted the impact of previous awards given to Vancouver tended to reverberate around a tighter industry circle.
“What we found so gratifying was the company we are in with this award; we’ve won lots of awards, but I think the world part of this has really catapulted us into another sphere,” said Richmond.
“However, we’re very much like a sports team; we put those awards to the side and get straight back to work.”
The latest award for YVR comes hot on the heels of a recent Canadian Transportation Act Review, commissioned by the federal government, which included the suggestion that Canada’s major airports be taken out of local control and sold to help finance infrastructure spending across the country.
With an estimated market valuation of somewhere between $4-6 billion, Richmond said previously that, although lucrative for the government, the move would be very short-sighted.
However, an unsolicited comment made in the wake of last week’s award by the CAPA Centre for Aviation — which is the leading provider of independent aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services — provided music to Richmond’s ears.
According to CAPA, YVR “…has a unique governance structure with a community-based, not-for-profit airport authority that reinvests all profits back into airport operations and development. Under this structure, Vancouver Airport has been able to set and implement a highly successful strategy.”
CAPA, said Richmond, “is actually making our case for us, without us having to say anything; it simply highlights once more the really good formula we have here.
“We didn’t tell them what to say, they made the connection themselves.
“As I’ve said before, I understand the need for (government spending on) infrastructure, but not on the back of our success.”
