A longer runway is still on the books for the Vernon Airport, but officials don’t consider it a priority. During a presentation to council Tuesday, Vernon Airport Corporation president Ian Hawes played down the significance of extending the runway to 4,000 feet. “It’s not the centre of what we’re doing,” he said.
“Unless something dramatic happens, we won’t be focusing on it.” The corporation’s 1999 strategic plan outlined such an extension as a priority, but the new 2007/08 plan presented Tuesday takes a different approach. “The airport corporation will prepare for the funding and construction of a further extension of the runway or expansion of the terminal if it is explicitly required by a current or future user, and will enhance the ability of the airport to serve all Vernon and region 
residents,” it states. One trigger mechanism could be the arrival of a passenger carrier service into Vernon, but Hawes insists there must be a need for the extension before doing it. “It’s too much money to have a Field of Dreams mentality about it,” he said. “To spend several millions of dollars on the hope it may happen is shortsighted.” However, Coun. Pat Cochrane still worries the plan’s wording could ultimately be costly for taxpayers when it’s unlikely a passenger service will become a permanent fixture. “We can’t promise a longer runway when there’s no long-term guarantee we won’t get money back to pay for it,” he said. Some council members are also questioning why only the city is paying for the airport operation when it benefits the entire region. “We’re looking at bringing economic development under the North Okanagan Regional District but it’s not contributing much to the airport,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham.NORD used to manage the airport but the city asked to take over control in the mid-1990s. “At the time, it was felt the airport had no potential under the NORD leadership and the city had specific ideas,” said Cochrane.
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