Lethbridge County Airport
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| Lethbridge Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: YQL - ICAO: CYQL | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | County of Lethbridge | ||
| Serves | Lethbridge | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 3,047 ft (929 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 05/23 | 6,500 | 1,981 | Asphalt |
| 12/30 | 5,500 | 1,676 | Asphalt |
Lethbridge County Airport or Lethbridge Airport, (IATA: YQL, ICAO: CYQL), is located approximately 7.5 km south southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is 10-15 driving minutes from the downtown area and serves the Alberta cities of Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray. Air Transat Vacations, through WestJet Boeing 737s, provides weekly, non-stop service to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during the winter.
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[edit] History
Originally known as Kenyon Field, this aerodrome began passenger services in October 1938, but officially opened in June 1939. Previous to this, the city operated aviation acitivites in areas currently occupied by Exhibition Park and Lethbridge Collegiate Institute.
From 1939–1948, Lethbridge operated as Western Canada's primary airline hub.[1] At the outbreak of World War II, Kenyon Field became a training facility under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). The station was operated and administered by the Royal Canadian Air Force and called RCAF Station Lethbridge. Beginning in July 1940, the aerodrome hosted No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). Instruction was provided by members of the local flying club. Since the airport often experience significant wind, the flying school moved to less windy High River in June 1941.
Late in 1941, the No. 8 Bombing and Gunnery School, also a BCATP training facility, opened at the station. Since land was required for gunnery and bombing practice, about 100 square miles was leased from the Blood Indian Reserve located nearby. Aircraft used by this school included Fairey Battles, Lysanders, Ansons, and Bolingbrokes.
No. 133 (Fighter) Squadron was formed here in June 1942, flying Hurricanes and Harvards. The squadron moved to Boundary Bay, British Columbia in October 1942.
The RCAF left Lethbridge in 1944.
In 1947, the RCAF's mess hall was converted by the Department of Transportation (now Transport Canada) into an Air Terminal Building, which was replaced by the current facility in 1979.
The County of Lethbridge assumed ownership of the airport on 1 January 1997, and it was subsequently named the Lethbridge County Airport.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
- Air Canada
- Air Canada Jazz operated by Central Mountain Air (Calgary)
- Integra Air (Edmonton, Fort McMurray via Edmonton)
- Air Transat
- Air Transat operated by WestJet (Puerto Vallarta [seasonal])
[edit] Services
The airport is a Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) Designated Aerodrome, thus providing full passenger screening. It also serves as a regional airport, offering a number of on-site charter, maintenance, flight training and speciality aviation services. There are roughly 40 aircraft based at the airport, including commercial, corporate, recreational, flight training, aerial spray and rotary-wing.
Between 50 and 60 percent of typical annual aircraft movements are flight training and scheduled air carrier services. In 2003, aircraft movements for the year were roughly 30,000 and passenger movements were roughly 55,000. [2]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Lethbridge County Airport website
- Integra Air
- Page about this airport on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory
[edit] Notes
- ^ Ian MacLachlan and Bruce MacKay, "Lethbridge and the Trans-Canada Airway," Alberta History 48, 3 (2000).
- ^ A Socio-economic Impact Assessment of Select Alberta Airports, Aviation Alberta. 2005. Prepared by RP Erickson & Associates. p 8. (PDF)
[edit] References
- Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 15 March 2007 to 0901Z 10 May 2007.
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