Whitelaw International Airport

Whitelaw International Airport departures

**Whitelaw International Airport** (IATA: **WLW**, ICAO: **SWLW**) is a commercial airport and the largest airport in Toin, serving the Whitelaw metropolitan area. It is in the city of Colonial Heights, approximately 33 km southeast of Downtown Whitelaw. The airport is owned by the Port Authority of Whitelaw. The airport covers approximately 1,456 hectares of land.

The airport has direct flights to cities throughout Toin, as well as international flights and connections throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It is the primary hub for Albatross National Airlines, whose headquarters are within the WIA Office Park. It also serves as an international gateway for Air Canada, British Airways, Air France, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines, all of which have expanded their presence at the airport in the last 15 years.

In 2020, the airport was the second-busiest in Toin by passenger traffic and is considered to be one of the fastest-growing in Toin. The entire airport covers approximately 11 square kilometres, which is of average density for Toinan airports with similar passenger numbers.

## History

Whitelaw's first airport was White Rabbit Airport on the banks of White Rabbit River, but was quickly rendered obsolete due to the difficulty of landing and taking off on the short runways. In 1934, after 10 years of operation, it was closed down permanently and a new airfield was built 5 miles west on land that could support expansion. The Port Authority of Whitelaw received a £500,000 contract from the Civil Aeronautics Administration to build the airport and an additional £75,000 from the City of Whitelaw itself. The airport was constructed from 1935 until 1937, and the first scheduled airline flights were Albatross National Airlines that same year. White Rabbit Airlines moved to the new airport in 1938. The original terminal was designed by Spencer Duncan. The official opening ceremony took place on 27 July 1937 in front of a crowd of 50,000.

Originally, only two runways were built as it was more than sufficient for the commercial and general aviation traffic at the time. Both runways were 1,700 metres long. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was apparent the runways needed to expand to accommodate the increasing size of aircraft, and in 1958 airport runways 36L and 18R were closed and lengthened by 1,100 metres to its present length of 2,800 metres. The following year, runways 36R and 18L were closed and lengthened to 2,800 metres as well. In 1963, an additional runway was built alongside runway 36L/18R for domestic traffic at 1,700 metres long and has not been expanded since.

Other public works projects also took place throughout the 1960s as well. In 1961, the ground-only parking lot was removed and two large parking garages were added in their place, with three skybridges crossing over the passenger dropoff lanes into the check-in section of the airport. In the 70s, about half of the ground floor of these parking garages were renovated into a large bus station that connected with the Whitelaw light rail system. In the two-story North Concourse, blank walls on both floors were painted with elaborate murals that depicted patriotic life in Toin or scenes of nature. The South Concourse used primarily indigenous artwork on the walls and used totem poles. Both Concourses displayed the flags of Toin and its states and territories. Both Concourses continue to display these murals and artwork (but have changed over the years) as well as the flags.

By 1965, there were over 200 flights departing and approximately flights 180 arriving per day. By 1970, this number had swelled to over 250, which required an additional concourse to be built. This concourse was dubbed Concourse A, and the North Concourse was renamed to Concourse B, while the South Concourse became Concourse C. Concourses B and C had 15 gates, but Concourse A was built with 20 gates and a cafe. In 1981, Concourse D was built just south of Concourse C and featured a gift shop. Concourse D had the same artwork and style as Concourse C - Concourses A and B also had the same artwork. Concourse B and Concourse C were renovated in the 1990s and added child play areas, gift shops, and an improved security section. Around this time, the Centre Wing was renovated too, including a two full-size restaurants and a ground-floor security station that included 20 cells, 2 interrogation rooms, and officer facilities. The ground floor also included staff facilities such as break rooms and locker rooms.

In the 1980s, residents filed complaints against the Port Authority complaining of noise, vibration, and smoke, among other problems. The Port and the government of Whitelaw Capital Territory subsequently adopted the Airport Communities Plan in 1986 to address these problems, prohibiting flights from landing between 21:00 and 07:00. The Port Authority spent over £130 million buying and soundproofing homes, businesses and schools over the next 11 years. The airport participated in the noise-compatibility program initiated by Parliament in the early 1990s, which, in addition to the actions taken in the 1980s, significantly reduced noise and complaints.

All Concourses had been upgraded in the mid-to-late 2000s to include moving walkways and electronic flight information screens.

## Facilities

The three parallel runways run directly north-south, east of the passenger terminal and are 1,700 to 2,800 metres long. In 2010, the airport averaged almost 1,000 aircraft operations per day, 90% of which were commercial flights and the remainder being air taxi and charter operations. The airport does not generally have the facilities to support general aviation.

A new control tower was built in the 1970s and opened 1976 at a cost of £13 million. To accomodate increased traffic and the need for better, more modern equipment, the control tower was rebuilt from the ground up in the late 1990s at a cost of £28 million and still stands today. The floor of the current tower's control cab is 70 metres above ground level; the tower's overall height including antennae is 85 metres. The cab has 80 square metres of space and was designed to support operation by ten controllers. The site and construction method of the tower was designed to provide maximum visibility and efficiency of radar systems. The first two control towers no longer stand, but a recreation of them can be seen at the National Museum of Air and Space Travel.

The airport became the first airport in Toin to implement an avian radar system to monitor bird activity across the airfield. The system was designed to reduce the possibility of collisions involving birds.

The National Weather and Storm Service operates a remote weather station at the airport, which has served as Colonial Height's official weather recording location since the foundation of the airport.

**Terminal**

Whitelaw International has 58 gates on four concourses.

**Concourse A** has 12 gates with jet bridges and 2 bus gates for transport to aircraft parked in a remote area

**Concourse B** has 10 gates and 2 bus gates for transport to aircraft parked in a remote area

**Concourse C** has 10 gates and 4 bus gates for transport to aircraft parked in a remote area

**Concourse D** has 15 gates with jet bridges and 3 bus gates for transport to aircraft parked in a remote area

The main terminal building is laid out roughly in the shape of a boomerang. Concourses A and B are the north end of the "boomerang," while Concourses C and D are the south end. Concourses B and C meet in the middle to form the Centre Wing, which has the most non-aviation related commercial activity and is also the main security checkpoint. Once through security, passengers have access to all gates and all services past security.

All international arrivals are handled by Concourses D and C.

## Ground transportation and access

**Highways**

Whitelaw International Airport is connected to the highway network by National Highway 1, which passes by the entrances and exits on two separate levels after passing through a loop. Access to National Highway 1A, a spur road, is possible in order to take one to the suburbs located south and west of the airport, while the main highway takes you straight to downtown Whitelaw or to Anchorton.

**Parking**

Paid on-site parking in two 10,000 page garages are available. The lowest (first/ground level) is reduced in space, as half of that floor houses a bus and light rail station. Privately owned parking facilities are located further from the airport.

**Public transportation**

The Wave's blue line serves the airport at the light rail station under the parking garages and goes directly to Downtown Whitelaw's bus/light rail terminal. The blue line also continues to the University of Whitelaw campus. Airport busses usually drive directly to Downtown Whitelaw's bus/light rail terminal. A commuter rail service is available, which runs through most cities in Whitelaw Capital Territory.

Taxis, limousines, and transportation network companies like Lyft and Uber are also available.

**Rental cars**

A 10 hectare consolidated rental car facility opened on 27 February 2014. The facility is located at the northern portion of the airport just south of National Highway 1's entrance to the airport grounds. The facility has 5,200 parking spaces and can handle up to 15,000 transactions per day.