Aviation and Global Market Opportunities in Foreign Trade Zones

Alberta’s two international airports have full-freight aircraft cargo handling, consolidation and freight forwarding capabilities. They offer some of the lowest operating costs and plenty of available warehouse space in a central location that specializes in receiving, transferring, storing, and distributing cargo. The Edmonton and Calgary airports are both designated as Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ), which allows the deferral of taxes and tariffs on goods. 

The Edmonton International Airport is Canada’s largest airport by land area. The YYC Global Logistics Park is the Calgary Airport Authority’s newest trade development with 330 acres of land. Both airports have significant capacity to allow for Calgary and Edmonton to be leading North American manufacturing and distribution centres. Alberta, at the CANAMEX corridor’s northern tip with two major rail carriers and intermodal terminals, is perfect for ground transportation business and US-Canada trade operations.

Alberta has excellent flying conditions, abundant land and wide-open spaces, perfect for training commercial pilots, especially as the global aviation industry faces a labour shortage. Many Albertan aerospace companies provide services such as maintenance, repair, overhaul, and modification of military and commercial aircraft.

Alberta is home to 420 of Canada’s 1,900 registered business aviation aircraft. Business aviation is a major contributor to Alberta’s economy. Headquartered in Calgary, WestJet airlines has scheduled service to 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe with increasing international and transborder passengers from 2022 through 2023. 

Alberta has begun integrating advanced robotics into its transport and logistics supply chain. The Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre at the Edmonton International Airport serves as a dedicated center for aerospace training and a world-class technology centre. Current programs include remote operated vehicles, fuel and heating innovations, and managing wildlife with robots.

The Foremost UAS Test Range provides a testing environment for a wide range of commercial drones, such as fixed-wing and multi-rotor models. Drone delivery services are an emerging field in transportation that could revolutionize industries such as healthcare, worldwide. These initiatives are driving forward Alberta’s presence in the global drone market.

Home to Canada’s only beyond-line of sight, restricted airspace, Alberta is a desirable place for companies to test remotely piloted aircraft systems technology. To support the defence industry, Alberta companies are making and maintaining the Canadian Forces’ technical equipment such as communications systems, software, specialized sensors, and other electronic components.

Alberta is also leveraging its expertise in geomatics, imagining and instrumentation to advance aerospace-based geomatics and scientific research.

In Alberta, we’re always seeking to improve our environmental footprint across all sectors. This has led to the Alberta Zero-Emissions Truck Electrification Collaboration (AZETEC) project. Led by the Alberta Motor Transport Association and funded through Emissions Reduction Alberta, AZTEC is demonstrating the use of hydrogen in fueling long-haul trucks. The project positions Alberta as global leader in the creation and use of low or zero-emission transportation fuel.

In 2021, Edmonton International Airport became the first airport in the world to join The Climate Pledge — committing to being carbon neutral by 2040.

Airport City Solar, the world’s largest airport solar farm will also be constructed and operational in 2022, generating power for airport distribution systems.