Condor, the German airline serving the Yukon, will not be cancelling its flights to the territory.

In fact, it is looking to expand its season to provide 2,000 additional seats for European passengers bound for the North, Roland Langlitz, a specialist for Condor's long-haul commercial flights, told a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Whitehorse.

'We have stated we will fly the same flight program for which we have this summer in the next summer and we want to prolong the season. So we come earlier and we stay longer with the flight,' said Langlitz.

The announcement came following meetings yesterday in Whitehorse between Condor, the Yukon's Departments of Tourism and Highways and Public Works and American representatives from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

The German air carrier, which currently flies twice weekly into Whitehorse during the summer, stated last week it was considering cancelling its flights to the territory if the airport didn't expand.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., security, customs and immigration requirements on both sides of the border have changed dramatically, said Bill Blahitka, director of aviation for the Department of Highways and Public Works.

It has led to an American insistence the airline's 269-passenger jets must be searched in Whitehorse before the U.S.-bound flights proceed to Alaska.

But the airport doesn't currently have the capacity to deal with the passengers if they were ordered off the plane, Condor had said.

'The outcome of the conference today was that our requirements regarding our transit, the comfortability of the transit, will be fulfilled,' said Langlitz. 'Authorities will do some measures to bring back what we need. So we will have the same flights like we have this summer.'

Condor told Yukon authorities it wants a one-hour turn-around time in processing passengers in Whitehorse and for an in-transit space to be available, said Langlitz.

The airport will be looking into building temporary structures to accommodate Condor's passengers during the 2007 season, said Bob Magnuson, assistant deputy minister for transportation with Highways and Public Works.

The structure may take the form of secure buses or an actual building, he said.

'There are several things we can look into, but we are quite confident we can satisfy the needs just given what we heard today.'

The American Transportation Security Administration has agreed to the temporary measures the Yukon is taking, he said.

The Yukon has also been working directly with the Canadian Border Services Agency for the last year and a half regarding concerns at the airport, he added.

The ultimate goal, however, is to renovate and expand the Whitehorse International Airport, whose terminal opened in 1986.

The initial plans are currently being reviewed and a decision is expected within the next month, said Magnuson.

'We're at a phase now where detailed design can actually incorporate some of the requirements in the facility that would satisfy Condor and other airlines.'

Three options for the expansion are being reviewed.

The actual design is very similar in all three, he said, but the amenities that may be included are different in each of the options.

The choices are focused on enlarging the airport's customs area, adding an additional gate and creating a capacity for further expansions in the future, Blahitka previously told the Star.

An improved baggage carousel area is also being explored, said Magnuson.

'There are several things we can look into, but we are quite confident we can satisfy the needs just given what we heard today,' he said.

'What we're looking at now is actually satisfying the needs and expanding the airport to meet the current and near future needs.'

The 2006/2007 budget includes $1.6 million for the initial work on the renovation and expansion of the airport.

The actual renovations are expected to cost several millions, said Magnuson.

If approval and planning stays on schedule, construction at the airport would likely begin in the fall of 2007 and be finished in time for the start of Condor's season in 2008.

'We found solutions for problems. So everybody is trying to help that so we can try to improve the connection between Germany, between Europe and Whitehorse,' said Langlitz.

The situation in the Yukon and the conflict between Canadian and American transportation authorities and customs and security regulations are not unique, he added.

'It's not unusual to have these problems, because a lot of airports in the world don't have transit areas. We found solutions in these cases and we found one over here.'

Dealing with two bordering countries always makes it more challenging, but it is just a matter of finding a compromise between the two governments, he said.

The effects of the agreed-to changes won't be immediate, said Langlitz, but if they work, the Yukon could soon be seeing a direct, non-stop flight from Germany.

If added, three flights from the carrier would be coming into the territory weekly and the season would extend from May 8 until Oct. 29.

Condor is estimated to bring $7 million in revenue to the Yukon's economy each year. This summer, 4,500 Europeans will have flown into the territory on the airline.

'The German-speaking market is a very important market for us and Condor has played a very key role in getting those visitors here since 1999,' said Pierre Germain, director of the government's tourism branch. 'It was important as a partner to work with them to see if there were ways we can grow the market.'

Langlitz said Condor has seen a six per cent growth in bookings on its flights to the Yukon since the 2005 season.

'Destination Yukon is very popular in Germany and we see it growing,' he said.

'We had an instant growth from the beginning on. So every year we offered more seats and got more passengers, and I'm very optimistic that we can do that next year and the year after.'