First Air aiming high with Ottawa airport expansion plan

First Air, an Inuit-owned airline that serves Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, is looking to expand its operation out of the Ottawa International Airport.

The company just submitted an applicationto the federal government'sNational Trade Corridors Fund asking for funding to increase warehouseand refrigeration capacityat itscargo facilities in Ottawa.

The project would include modernizing technology aimed at reducing shipment delays and spoilage.

To help make this happen, the Ottawa Airport Authority has proposed a realignment of Alert Road to facilitate the expansion of First Air's maintenance warehouse.

First Air is asking the federal government for half of the project's $17.5-million cost. Construction would begin this year and continue into 2021.

First Air is alsoasking the federal government forfunding for an expansion project at its Iqaluit cargo facilities.

The company says it expects the demand for cargo shipmentto increase by 28 per centover the next fiveyears, and wants to make sure there's capacity at both ends of its shipping route to support thatgrowth.