Lethbridge Airport | |||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Operator | Lethbridge County | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Lethbridge | ||||||||||||||
Location | Lethbridge County, near Lethbridge, Alberta | ||||||||||||||
Opened | June 1939 | ||||||||||||||
Time zone | MST (UTC−07:00) | ||||||||||||||
• Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC−06:00) | ||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 3,049 ft / 929 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 49°37′49″N 112°47′59″W / 49.63028°N 112.79972°WCoordinates: 49°37′49″N 112°47′59″W / 49.63028°N 112.79972°W | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Location in Lethbridge | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2014) | |||||||||||||||
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Aircraft movements | 22,180 |
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The Lethbridge Airport (IATA: YQL, ICAO: CYQL), previously the Lethbridge County Airport, is located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) south southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is 10–15 driving minutes from downtown and has scheduled service to the Alberta cities of Calgary and Edmonton. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers. The airport hosts the biennial Lethbridge International Airshow.
Originally known as Kenyon Field, this aerodrome began passenger services in October 1938, but officially opened in June 1939. Prior to this, the city operated aviation activities in areas now occupied by Exhibition Park and Lethbridge Collegiate Institute.
From 1939 to 1948, Lethbridge operated as Western Canada's primary airline hub. According to the Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) system timetable dated January 1, 1940, Lethbridge was a stop on Trans-Canada's transcontinental flights linking Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. U.S. air carrier Western Air Lines served Lethbridge at this time as well with flights to Salt Lake City with connecting service to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Western operated Boeing 247D twin prop aircraft with a routing of Lethbridge-Cut Bank-Great Falls-Helena-Butte-Idaho Falls-Pocatello-Salt Lake City. According to the route map in the above referenced timetable, Lethbridge was the only international destination served by Western at this time.