Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport

Edmonton City Centre Airport Blatchford Field
City Centre Airport control tower in 2010
IATA: YXD ICAO: CYXD
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Edmonton
Operator	Edmonton Airports
Serves	Edmonton, Alberta
Opened	1927
Closed	November 30, 2013 (2013-11-30)
Time zone	MST (UTC−07:00)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC−06:00)
Elevation AMSL	2,202 ft / 671 m
Coordinates	53°34′19″N 113°31′10″W / 53.57194°N 113.51944°W / 53.57194; -113.51944Coordinates: 53°34′19″N 113°31′10″W / 53.57194°N 113.51944°W / 53.57194; -113.51944
Map
YXD Location within Edmonton
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 12/30 5,870 1,789 Asphalt 16/34 5,700 1,737 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Aircraft Movements 55,863
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement Edmonton Airports Movements from Statistics Canada

Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport (ECCA), (IATA: YXD, ICAO: CYXD), was located within the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was bordered by Yellowhead Trail to the north, Kingsway to the south, 121 Street to the west, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and Jefferson armouries to the east. It encompassed approximately 144 acres (58 ha) of land just north of the Edmonton city centre. The airport was originally named for former mayor Kenneth Alexander Blatchford, then was known as the Edmonton Municipal Airport, then as Edmonton Industrial Airport and then as Edmonton City Centre Airport, finally ending as Blatchford Field at Edmonton City Centre Airport. In all cases, the three letter "YXD" code continued to be used for the airport by all of the airlines serving the airfield over the years.

The airport was closed in November 2013 and has been redeveloped for housing.

The airport has a rich aviation history, being the first licensed airfield in Canada (1929). Characters such as Wop May helped pioneer aviation in Alberta and Northern Canada, further solidifying Blatchford Field as the "Gateway to the North". Wiley Post landed there during both of his circumnavigations. The airport was also former military airbase serving as a major stop-over on the Northwest Staging Route during World War II and hosted a wartime British Commonwealth Air Training Plan flying school as well as an air observer school. A full history can be gathered at the Alberta Aviation Museum.