With passenger volume grown to unprecedented levels, the Saint John Airport is hoping to do something it’s never done in its history: start construction on major improvements.

They have no funding yet to put shovels in the ground, but airport officials say they’re starting to make a wishlist, in light of the busier times and new economic conditions they’re enjoying.

"Passenger traffic is up. Last year we did just under 250,000 passengers, which is an all-time record,” said David Allen, the airport’s president and CEO.

That number, he says, is expected to climb, so officials are turning their attention to facility renewal, which hasn’t been undertaken in a significant way since the airport was built in the 1950s.

"We need to do a rehabilitation of the runway, and at the same time we're planning to put some centre-lined lighting in, upgrade the runway lights in total to LED, brighter lights and also to do an extension,” Allen said.

Ellen Tucker, who runs a travel agency in Saint John, says the falling Canadian dollar will encourage more people to fly from the Maritimes instead of crossing the border to Maine.

"Flying out of Bangor is not going to be the deal is use to be. So I think we'll find a lot more people will fly out Saint John."

Whether passenger volumes continue to grow will depend a lot on market factors, she says.

"As long as the prices are competitive, and that's the secret: If people use (the airport) and the planes are full and the airlines decide to put on bigger planes and they fill those planes, then our prices will remain competitive,” Tucker said.

Allen, for his part, is optimistic flying out of Saint John will remain a better deal.

"The Americans are downloading a lot of their charges and subsidies to airports and airlines, so it's becoming more expensive,” he said.

“If you've traveled on Allegiant or any of those U.S. airlines out of Bangor, you're finding that you're having to pay for all little bits and pieces,” he said, adding the falling Canadian dollar is also a factor.

Allen says the airport doesn’t have funding secured yet for the work, but he’s hoping all levels of government will step in to help.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ashely Blackford