Ed. note: this is one of a series of articles tracing the planning for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse.

On March 2-3, 2007, Whitehorse International Airport will see more than 20 large aircraft land and take off on its runways in fewer than 24 hours.

Chris Morrissey, manager of the Canada Winter Games, said in an interview this morning his organization is working out the logistics for the March 'turnaround'. It will see 1,800 athletes leave Whitehorse and another 1,800 athletes arrive.

'It's a challenge, that's for sure,' Morrissey said.

Fifteen planes have been chartered to take athletes in and out of Whitehorse on March 2-3.

The chartered planes, he said, are Boeing 737s, which accommodate approximately 130 passengers each.

'That's in conjunction with the commercial flights coming in. There will be another five to eight commercial flights,' he said, explaining that Air North, Air Canada and First Air will each be operating their own set schedule.

Normally, the airport sees an average of three to four commercial flights in/out from Air Canada and Air North per day.

Morrissey said he has been working with officials at the Whitehorse airport as well as the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to ensure that athletes are moved in and out while security regulations are respected.

Whitehorse airport manager John Rogers said he believes the turnaround day will be the most planes he's ever seen come to the city at one time.

'I think it's going to be a record, that's for sure,' he said.

Rogers said from an infrastructure perspective, the airport will have no problem handling the traffic.

He also said most of the athletes are scheduled to be met on the tarmac so the airport itself won't be too crowded.

Frank Close, the airport's supervisor of safety and security, said he will bolster his staff numbers if necessary to ensure the integrity of the airport.

'We'll add extra staff if we need to,' he said.

'The biggest thing is ensuring that no unauthorized people enter into restricted areas.'

Morrissey said the logistical issue of the turnaround will not be at the airport but in preparing the athletes' village, built this year at Yukon College.

'The turnaround day is going to present quite a challenge for us,' he said.

'We have to clean up the village and get new bedding in all before the new athletes arrive.'

The whole process, he said, will all take fewer than 24 hours.

NAV Canada, responsible for air traffic control, and Canadian Air Transport Security Authority officials could not be reached for comment.