New era of Manitoulin air travel

A new airport terminal at Gore Bay Airport on Manitoulin Island is now in use.

The terminal which has been four years in the making will usher in a new era for air travel on the west of the island.

$4.2 million in federal funding enabled airport management to put a plan in place to build the facility.

Over the last few days work was completed to take down the former structure used to welcome travellers to the island.

"In terms of the old building, there was really no tears from me on the day they smashed it down – it was long overdue,” said Robert Colwell, the airport’s manager.

“In some sense, there was a lot of history in the old building, being 77 years old, and I know that there were prime ministers, premiers, movie stars and celebrities over the years that have walked through the doors of the old building."

According to Colwell, the airport hands anywhere from 4,500 to 5,000 flights annually.

Officials told CTV News that the details and date for an official grand opening of the new building have not yet been finalized.