Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

"Winnipeg Airport" redirects here. For other airports in Winnipeg, see List of airports in the Winnipeg area.

"YWG" redirects here. For the Yinhawangka language, see Yinhawangka language.

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Aéroport international James Armstrong Richardson de Winnipeg
IATA: YWG ICAO: CYWG WMO: 71852
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Transport Canada [1]
Operator	Winnipeg Airports Authority (DND)
Serves	Winnipeg Metropolitan Region
Hub for	Bearskin Airlines Calm Air Cargojet Perimeter Aviation
Focus city for	WestJet
Operating base for	Flair Airlines
Time zone	CST (UTC−06:00)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC−05:00)
Elevation  AMSL	784 ft / 239 m
Coordinates	49°54′36″N097°14′24″W / 49.91000°N 97.24000°W / 49.91000; -97.24000
Public transit access	Winnipeg Transit  15  20
Website	www.waa.ca
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 13/31 8,841 2,695 Asphalt 18/36 11,000 3,353 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft movements 107,692 Number of passengers 4,094,793
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement [2] Environment Canada [3] Movements from Statistics Canada [4] Passenger statistics from Winnipeg Airports Authority [5]

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (commonly known as Winnipeg International Airport or Winnipeg Airport) ( IATA : YWG, ICAO : CYWG) is an international airport located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the seventh busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, serving 4,094,793 passengers in 2023, ^[6] and the 7th busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements. ^[4] Winnipeg International Airport is a hub for Calm Air, Perimeter Airlines, and cargo airline Cargojet, also serving as a focus city for WestJet and an operating base for Flair Airlines. The airport is co-located with Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, covering a total land area of 1,370 hectares (3,400 acres). ^[7]

An important transportation hub within the province of Manitoba, Winnipeg International Airport serves as the primary airport for a large geographical area that includes parts of neighbouring Northwestern Ontario and Nunavut. ^[8] The airport is operated by Winnipeg Airports Authority as part of Transport Canada's National Airports System ^[9] and is one of eight Canadian airports that has U.S. border pre-clearance facilities.

Daily non-stop flights operate from Winnipeg International Airport to destinations across Canada as well as to the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The airport also serves numerous small remote communities in Northern Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and Nunavut through regularly scheduled flights. ^[10]

History

The airport opened in 1928 as Stevenson Aerodrome in honour of the noted Manitoba aviator and pioneer bush pilot, Captain Fred J. Stevenson. ^[11] Stevenson Aerodrome, also known as Stevenson Field, was Canada's first international airport with Northwest Airways (which became Northwest Airlines) inaugurating a passenger and mail service between Winnipeg and Pembina, North Dakota on February 2, 1931. ^[11]

By 1935, Northwest Airlines was operating daily service from the airport with Hamilton H-47 prop aircraft on a routing of Winnipeg – Pembina, ND – Grand Forks – Fargo – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – Milwaukee, WI – Chicago, IL. ^[12]

The City of Winnipeg and the Rural Municipality of St. James agreed to develop Stevenson Field as a modern municipal airport in 1936. ^[13] In 1938 the Manitoba Legislative Assembly passed the St. James–Winnipeg Airport Commission Act creating a commission of the same name with full control over the operation of the airport. ^[13] In 1940, during the Second World War, the Government of Canada placed the airport under the direction of the Minister of Transport and the Royal Canadian Air Force where it remained until 1997. ^[13]

Also in 1940, Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) was operating daily round trip transcontinental service across Canada via the airport with a routing of Montreal – Ottawa – North Bay – Kapuskasing – Wagaming – Winnipeg – Regina – Lethbridge – Vancouver flown with Lockheed Model 10 Electra twin prop aircraft with connecting service to and from Toronto being offered via North Bay. ^[14]

Post-war

In 1962, Stevenson Field was officially renamed Winnipeg International Airport, followed in 1997 by the airport's transfer to the control of the Winnipeg Airports Authority. ^[13]

The original main terminal building was built in 1964, and was designed by the architectural firm of Green Blankstein Russell and Associates (subsequently GBR Associates and Stantec Limited). It was expanded and renovated in 1984 by the architectural firm of IKOY, and a hotel was built across from the terminal in 1998. The original main terminal building was closed on Sunday October 30, 2011 and has since been demolished.

Interior of the old terminal prior to its closure

Winnipeg Airport was briefly served by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) during the mid-1950s on the world's first regular polar route, which linked Copenhagen and Los Angeles with Douglas DC-6B propliner flights via Søndre Strømfjord, Greenland and Winnipeg. ^{[15] [16]}

Two passenger airlines operating jet aircraft were previously based at the Winnipeg International Airport: Transair (Canada) and Greyhound Air (both now-defunct). ^{[17] [18]} Transair and Greyhound Air operated scheduled flights across Manitoba, Ontario, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon from its Winnipeg hub in addition to operating charter services from the airport to Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida, and Hawaii among other destinations in the U.S. ^[19]

Six airlines were serving the airport with scheduled passenger flights during the 1970s and 1980s. Air Canada, CP Air, the original Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and locally based Transair ^[20] operated scheduled flights from Winnipeg to destinations including London–Heathrow, Amsterdam, Glasgow, New York–JFK, San Francisco, Honolulu, Denver, Las Vegas, Chicago–O'Hare, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. ^{[21] [22]} In the early 2000s, CanJet and Jetsgo (both now-defunct) operated nonstop service from Winnipeg to Toronto Pearson International Airport. ^[23]

On December 10, 2006, the Minister of Transport, Lawrence Cannon, announced Winnipeg International Airport was to be renamed Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in honour of the influential businessman and pioneer of Canadian commercial aviation from Winnipeg. ^[24]

Facilities

Arrivals area of the Main Terminal

Domestic/international departure gate area in the Main Terminal

USA departure gates in the Main Terminal

Air Canada Embraer E190 at the gate

Main Terminal

Check-in hall at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport's Main Terminal

Winnipeg's main airport terminal was designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli and Stantec. ^[25] The terminal's design was inspired by the City of Winnipeg's distinctive landscape and the province of Manitoba's vast prairies and sky. ^[26] It was the first airport terminal in Canada to be LEED-certified for its environmentally friendly concept, design, construction and operation. ^[27] The terminal was constructed in two phases, with construction beginning in 2007 and ending on October 30, 2011, when it was officially opened to the public. ^{[28] [29]} Prior to the opening of the current main terminal building, a multi-level access road and four-level, 1,559-stall parkade were both opened in November 2006. All airlines serving Winnipeg International Airport operate at the main terminal building, with the exception of Perimeter Aviation.

Airside of the Main Terminal

Air Canada operates a Maple Leaf Lounge located in the domestic/international departures area, ^[30] and a "pay-in" lounge, operated by Plaza Premium Lounge, is also located in the domestic/international departures area. ^[31] Free Wi-Fi is provided by the Winnipeg Airports Authority throughout the entire main terminal building. ^[32]

The airport offers United States border preclearance facilities.

Perimeter Terminal

Main article: Perimeter Aviation

Perimeter Aviation is a regional airline that operates its own small, exclusive terminal building at Winnipeg International Airport to facilitate its passenger, cargo and charter services. Perimeter Aviation does not use the main terminal building due to its varied operations to small remote communities throughout Northern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario using small propeller aircraft, with which regular airport terminal services (jet bridge, catering, etc.) are unnecessary and can actually be a hindrance to day-to-day operations.

The Perimeter Aviation terminal building is located 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) south of the main terminal building.

Other facilities

A large Canada Post mail processing facility was opened at the airport site on June 4, 2010. ^[33] The 23,225-square-metre (249,990 sq ft) facility is located east of the main terminal building, just north of Wellington Avenue. It is responsible for processing all mail and parcels for Manitoba, and some parts of Ontario and Northern Canada.

Three hotels are located on site, adjacent to the main airport terminal.

CentrePort Canada

Main article: CentrePort Canada

Richardson International Airport is included in a new 20,000-acre (8,100 ha) dry port created by provincial legislation—CentrePort Canada Act, C.C.S.M. c. C44—that will offer investment opportunities for distribution centres, warehousing and manufacturing. ^[34] CentrePort Canada will allow companies to take advantage of the cargo capabilities of Richardson International Airport, as well as serviced land, a mid-continent location and highway and rail transport.

On April 14, 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Premier Gary Doer announced at James Richardson that both the Federal and Provincial governments will contribute CA$212.5 million towards a divided four-lane expressway called CentrePort Canada Way. It is now complete, and links Inkster Boulevard to the Perimeter Highway on the north side of the CP Rail Glenboro subdivision parallel to Saskatchewan Avenue to attract new transportation logistics associated development to the city area west and Rosser Municipality northwest of the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Air Canada	Calgary, Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: Cancún	[35]
Air Canada Express	Seasonal: Ottawa	[35]
Bearskin Airlines	Red Lake, Sioux Lookout	[36]
Calm Air	Churchill, Flin Flon, Gillam, Rankin Inlet, Sanikiluaq, The Pas, Thompson	[37]
Delta Air Lines	Minneapolis/St. Paul	[38]
Delta Connection	Minneapolis/St. Paul	[38]
Flair Airlines	Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: Calgary, Cancún, Edmonton, Kitchener/Waterloo, Las Vegas, Orlando/Sanford	[39]
Perimeter Aviation	Cross Lake, Deer Lake, Garden Hill, Gods Lake Narrows, Gods River, Lac Brochet, North Spirit Lake, Norway House, Oxford House, Pikangikum, Red Sucker Lake, Sachigo Lake, St. Theresa Point, Sandy Lake, Shamattawa, Sioux Lookout, Thompson, York Landing	[40]
Porter Airlines	Ottawa (begins May 16, 2024), [41] Toronto–Pearson	[42]
Sunwing Airlines	Seasonal: Cancún, Cayo Coco, Mazatlán, Orlando, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, San José del Cabo, Varadero	[43]
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver (both resume May 23, 2024)	[44]
WestJet	Atlanta, Calgary, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Montréal–Trudeau (resumes June 3, 2024), [45] Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: Cancún, Halifax, Huatulco, Kelowna, Montego Bay, Nashville (begins September 16, 2024), [45] Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Puerto Vallarta, Victoria	[46]
WestJet Encore	Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay	[46]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Cargojet Airways	Calgary, Cincinnati, Edmonton, Hamilton, Iqaluit, Montréal–Mirabel, Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Vancouver
DHL Aviation	Cincinnati, Milwaukee
FedEx Express	Calgary, Edmonton, Indianapolis, Memphis, Thunder Bay, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver
FedEx Feeder	Fargo [47]
SkyLink Express	Regina, Saskatoon
UPS Airlines	Fargo, Louisville, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Statistics

Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic at YWG airport. See Wikidata query.

Annual passenger traffic ^[48]

Year	Passengers	% change
2010	3,369,974
2011	3,389,237	0.6%
2012	3,538,175	4.4%
2013	3,484,252	-1.5%
2014	3,669,797	5.3%
2015	3,778,035	2.9%
2016	4,015,200	6.9%
2017	4,305,744	7.2%
2018	4,484,343	4.5%
2019	4,484,249	0.0%
2020	1,299,225	71.1%
2021	1,223,054	5.9%
2022	3,031,113	147.8%
2023	4,094,793	35.1%

Ground transportation

Car

Winnipeg International Airport is located at 2000 Wellington Avenue in the City of Winnipeg. Several short and long term parkades are located on site, as well as a curb-side valet parking service.

Bus

See also: Winnipeg Transit and Winnipeg Bus Terminal

Winnipeg Transit operates two bus routes that service the airport. A charging port has been added in October 2014 for Winnipeg transit's electric bus program. Greyhound Canada intercity buses used a station at the airport from 2009 to 2018, when service to Western Canada ended. The Brandon Air Shuttle provides shuttle transportation between Winnipeg International Airport and Manitoba's second largest city, Brandon.

Accidents and incidents at or near YWG

• On February 6, 1941, a Trans-Canada Air Lines Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra diverted and crashed into trees on approach to Winnipeg a mile short of the airport after developing engine trouble. All three crew and nine passengers were killed. ^[49]

• On October 6, 2005, a Morningstar Air Express Cessna 208 Caravan crashed 6.6km (4.1mls) SE of YWG because of in-flight icing conditions and an overweight aircraft. The sole occupant, the pilot, was killed. ^[50]

See also

• List of airports in the Winnipeg area
• List of airports in Manitoba

References

1. "Airport Divestiture Status Report." Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Transport Canada. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
2. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
3. "Synoptic/Metstat Station Information." Archived June 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine weatheroffice.gc.ca. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
4. "Aircraft movements, by class of operation and peak hour and peak day of movements, for airports with NAV CANADA towers, monthly". Stats Canada. June 27, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
5. "Winnipeg Airports Authority reaches new recovery milestone during Q4 2022". Winnipeg Airports Authority. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
6. "WAA surpasses four million annual passengers for first time since 2019". waa.ca. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
7. "Winnepeg Int'l Airport Master Plan (page 80)" (PDF). waa.ca. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
8. Schlesinger, Joel. "Port on the Prairies: Supply-chain economics key to becoming international trade hub." Archived December 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Winnipeg Free Press , May 17, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
9. "National Airports Policy." Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Transport Canada. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
10. "Airlines" Archived April 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Winnipeg Airports Authorities. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
11. Winnipeg Airports Authority. "History | About Us". Winnipeg Airports Authority. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
12. http://www.timetableimages.com Archived February 2, 2001, at the Wayback Machine , Oct. 10, 1935 Northwest Airlines system timetable
13. "St. James – Winnipeg Airport Commission". Winnipeg in Focus. City of Winnipeg. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
14. http://www.timetableimages.com Archived February 2, 2001, at the Wayback Machine , Jan. 1, 1940 Trans-Canada Air Lines timetable
15. "April 17, 1955 timetable | SAS" airline timetable images. Archived March 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved December 13 2017
16. "Jan. 1, 1956 timetable | SAS". airline timetable images. "Airline Timetable Images". Archived from the original on February 2, 2001. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
17. http://www.timetableimages.com Archived February 2, 2001, at the Wayback Machine , March 18, 1974 Transair system timetable
18. http://www.departedflights.com Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , August 1, 1996 Greyhound Air route map & timetable
19. http://www.departedflights.com Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , May 25, 1976 Transair route map
20. http://www.departedflights.com Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , April 15, 1975 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Winnipeg flight schedules
21. Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Winnipeg flight schedules
22. http://www.timetableimages.com Archived February 2, 2001, at the Wayback Machine , July 15, 1970 CP Air system timetable
23. http://www.departedflights.com Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Summer 2003 Jetsgo timetable
24. "Canada's New Government Renames Winnipeg International Airport in Honour of James Armstrong Richardson." Archived January 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Winnipeg Airport Authorities, Press release. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
25. DCN News Staff (November 10, 2011). "Canada's first LEED certified airport terminal opens in Winnipeg". Daily Commercial News. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
26. PCPA. "Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects' Airport Terminal Opens in Winnipeg". CNW Newswire (News release). Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
27. "Winnipeg airport terminal listed among world's iconic". April 3, 2012. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
28. CBC News Staff. 2011. "Winnipeg's new airport terminal opens." CBC News. Archived October 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved October 31, 2011.
29. Carl, Julie. 2011. "Airport sneak peek delights." Winnipeg Free Press. Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved October 31, 2011.
30. Air Canada. "Lounge Locations | Maple Leaf Lounges". Air Canada. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
31. Plaza Premium Lounge. "Discover a Plaza Premium Lounge - Global Airport Service Locations". Plaza Premium Lounge. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
32. Winnipeg Airports Authority. "Wi-Fi | Services". Winnipeg Airports Authority. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
33. "Canada Post announces new state-of-the-art plant to be built at the airport". Winnipeg Airports Authority. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
34. CentrePort Canada (2020). "The Inland Port". CentrePort Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
35. "Flight Schedules".
36. "Bearskin Airlines Route Map".
37. "Calm Air Flight Schedule".
38. "Flight Schedules : Delta Air Lines".
39. "Where we Fly : Flair Airlines".
40. "Route Map and Destinations : Perimeter Aviation". Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
41. "Porter expands its network with new direct route between Ottawa and Winnipeg". Cision. December 6, 2023.
42. "Porter Airlines announces round-trip flights from Toronto to Winnipeg". City News. June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
43. "Sunwing Airlines Destinations".
44. "United to resume direct flights between Winnipeg and both Denver, Chicago in May". CBC News. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
45. "WestJet adds daily flights from Winnipeg to Montreal, seasonal direct flights to Nashville". CBC. April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
46. "Direct and Nonstop Flights : WestJet".
47. "CPT8065 Flight Activity History". Flightaware.
48. Authority, Winnipeg Airports. "Publications & Stats YWG". www.waa.ca. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
49. Accident descriptionfor CF-TCP at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on October 26, 2023.
50. Accident descriptionfor C-FEXS at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on October 26, 2023.

Sources

• Canada's Airports: Reinvention & Success. Ottawa-Macdonald-Cartier: Insight Media commissioned by the Canadian Airports Council (CAC), 2005.

External links

Media related to Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport from Nav Canada as available.