Last year was one of the busiest on record for the Red Deer Airport, according to figures compiled by Statistics Canada.
The regional airport at Springbrook recorded 50,872 aircraft movements, up 15 per cent from the 44,276 movements the year prior to that.
It marked the third consecutive annual increase for the airport, which had posted 49,953 takeoffs and landings in 2008, prior to the economic downturn.
Red Deer Airport’s strong numbers in 2012 were second only to North Bay, Ont.’s 51,153 movements, among the 51 regional airports (flight service centres without Nav Canada control towers) in Canada.
Ottawa/Gatineau was third with 48,323, followed by Grande Prairie (41,916), Kamloops, B.C. (37,863), St. Catharines, Ont. (35,123), Sept-Îles, Que. (33,149), Thompson, Man. (32,269) and Montreal/Mirabel (32,269).
Red Deer Airport’s aircraft movements included 23,330 itinerant flights to and from other airports, which was the ninth most among the 51 flight service centres.
There were also 27,542 local flights that remained in the vicinity of the airport, the third highest.
In terms of the types of flights to and from the airport last year, 50,545 were of the civil variety and 327 were military-related, according to Statistics Canada.
The former figure included 15,252 commercial flights and 7,823 private or government-related flights to or from other airports, as well as 24,470 that were strictly local.
Of the flights in and out of Red Deer Airport, 16,649 involved planes powered by piston engines, 741 were by planes with turboprops and 741 involved jets. There were also 1,580 helicopter and 11 glider flights.