Expansion plans for the Whitehorse International Airport would see the site grow by 2,500 square metres, with the Yukon government spending nearly $11 million on the project.

The government announced those details at a news conference at the airport this morning.

"This is a building that's important to all Yukoners," said project manager Mike Cowper.

The plans, pending legislative approval, would see $6.5 million put toward work in the upcoming fiscal year, with the remaining $7.4 million being spent in the 2009 fiscal year.

Another $1.8 million has already been approved for the final portion of the improvements being made to the airport's parking lot.

The work has been planned over the course of several years, as the airport has grown from a facility built to accommodate "eight or nine baseball players" coming in from places like Juneau, to accommodating flights from the overseas market and within the country in the age of high-security requirements, Cowper said.

Cowper said he hopes airport patrons won't be too inconvenienced over the next couple of years. The work will see a larger baggage carousel installed, along with an oversized freight and passenger elevator.

There will also be more room for security clearance and a new 230-passenger hold room that will be used as an in-transit lounge for international flights.

Meanwhile, the interim in-transit lounge installed last year to meet requirements for international flights will be moved to Faro's airport in the next 24 to 30 months, after the work is complete in Whitehorse.

The planning included working with U.S. government officials, the Canadian Border Services Agency and others to meet the required standards.

With the commitment and plans to move ahead, the U.S. has been flexible with the requirements.

"This is a big project for the Yukon," said Highways and Public Works Minister Archie Lang.

He went on to note his government's commitment to infrastructure and the economic benefits that will come from it.

Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor was quick to note the territory saw 4,700 Condor passengers from Frankfurt, Germany, come to the territory. That compares with 3,300 Condor passengers in 1998.

"Certainly, the future is very bright," Taylor said of the overseas tourism market.

That is in addition to the passengers coming in domestic flights via Air North and Air Canada along with local charter flights.

"Tourism continues to be an economic main-stay," Taylor said.

She noted the importance the airport, one of the smallest in North America to have overseas flights, plays in the tourism industry.

Air North's service to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver has shown the market is continuing to grow, with more people using the airport.

Airport manager John Rogers said the extensive project will be not only huge for Whitehorse, but will impact people around the world who arrive on international flights.

He noted the role airlines, government, security agencies, contractors and others have played in the planning for the airport expansion.

As the terminal is expanded, the substantial work on the parking lot will enter its final phase this year with automated parking controls installed, the relocation of the DC 3 weathervane and the final work on the internal roads.

The changes have seen an extra 237 parking stalls put in place, bringing the number of spots up to 400.

No work is planned for the tarmac.

Meanwhile, this will likely mark Cowper's final project before he retires, he said, adding he plans to use the improved airport a lot after his retirement.

The current terminal opened in 1986, with then-Yukon MP Erik Nielsen presiding as former prime minister Brian Mulroney's public works minister.

The previous terminal had been a cramped Second World War hangar.

Passengers retreived their baggage from an unheated shed after leaving their aircraft and walking across the tarmac while exposed to the elements.