The Yukon government is working on a plan to expand the Whitehorse airport to make it better able to accommodate international flights.

'The airport was built to accommodate domestic and transport flights,' Bill Blahitka, director of aviation for the Department of Highways and Public Works, told the Star. 'Condor has really added a new dynamic.'

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

In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., security, customs and immigration requirements on both sides of the border have changed dramatically, said Blahitka.

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

'Condor is having to meet more stringent requirements,' Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor said of the situation. 'We are certainly recognizing that.'

The Yukon government and the Whitehorse airport have been working with Transport Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Transport Security Administration to keep the situation as simple as possible, said Taylor.

An arrangement with the U.S. Transport Security Administration and airport security has allowed the company's customers to stay onboard so far, but that may not be so in the future, said Taylor.

'We're always striving to meet the requirements from Ottawa and the United States,' she said.

But the Whitehorse airport doesn't have the capacity to deal with the passengers if they were ordered off the plane, Condor has been quoted as saying.

It has led the company to consider cancelling the Whitehorse stopover in coming years, it's been published.

The push to expand the airport isn't just coming from the German airline, said Blahitka.

Canada Customs has been pushing for renovations to the airport for about a year and a half, he said, and would like to see the work completed within two years.

With heightened security measures, customs needs more space for the people it is processing, as well as for its own staff and new computer and technology systems.

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

'(It's) to meet the new, more stringent screening requirements presented by the Canadian Border Services Agency as a result of 9/11,' said Premier Dennis Fentie.

A number of conceptual space ideas have been developed and are now in the hands of the government for review, said Blahitka.

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

'We're working on this issue as we speak,' said Taylor.

The YTG has been in talks with the federal government for more than a year about funding arrangements and what changes are required to meet security requirements, she said.

'Obviously we need to meet legislated obligations,' said Taylor. 'But it's equally important to meet the needs of our international carriers.'

Condor plays a significant role in the Yukon's economy, she said, generating approximately $7 million in revenue annually.

'We're thankful for their services.'

The territory is also looking at opportunities to attract new carriers from the Asian Pacific rim, she said.

What's been tricky in determining the best go-forward option has been the number of competing concerns, said Taylor.

Canada Customs, the U.S. Transport Services Administration, Transport Canada, Yukon Tourism and Condor and other carriers all have vested interests in the project, said Blahitka.

The decision isn't just being made based on the short-term, but also looking at the mid- to long-term, said Blahitka, examining both tourism and the economy.

A meeting of the stakeholders is expected to be held next week in Whitehorse.

The proposed changes are being reviewed and a design is expected to be selected some time this fall, he said.

Construction of the building expansion is expected to begin in 2007, while work on expanding the airport's parking lots, in preparation for the 2007 Canada Winter Games, is slated to start within weeks, he said.

The terminal opened in 1986. It replaced a Second World War-era hangar previously used as the terminal.