Windsor Airport

Windsor International Airport
IATA: YQG ICAO: CYQG WMO: 71538
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Windsor City Council
Operator	Your Quick Gateway, Inc.
Serves	Windsor, Ontario
Time zone	EST (UTC−05:00)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−04:00)
Elevation AMSL	622 ft / 190 m
Coordinates	42°16′34″N 082°57′19″W / 42.27611°N 82.95528°W / 42.27611; -82.95528Coordinates: 42°16′34″N 082°57′19″W / 42.27611°N 82.95528°W / 42.27611; -82.95528
Website	www.yqg.ca
Map
CYQG Location in Ontario
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 07/25 9,000 2,743 Asphalt 12/30 5,150 1,570 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft movements 25,976
Source: Canada Flight Supplement Environment Canada Movements from Statistics Canada

Windsor International Airport, (IATA: YQG, ICAO: CYQG), is located in the southeast portion of the city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The airport serves a mixture of scheduled airline flights and general aviation, and is a popular point of entry into Canada for private and business aircraft. The airspace above the airport is exceptionally busy because of the proximity to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) arrivals and departures are handled by Detroit approach control.

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 aircraft up to 325 passengers. However, it can handle up to 450 if the aircraft is unloaded in stages.

The airport opened in 1928 as Walker Airport, named after Hiram Walker, a 19th-century whiskey distiller. In 1967, the airport was added to the national portfolio of Canadian airports, citing its increasing importance as a regional airport hub for Southwestern Ontario, serving the areas between Detroit, Michigan and London, Ontario, rather than being a simple landing strip (as it used to be).

In 2006, Serco Aviation Services Inc. announced that would request early termination of its airport management contract with the City of Windsor, as Windsor Airport had been losing around CAD$40,000 per month. The City of Windsor accepted Serco's withdrawal and prepared to operate the airport itself, but with a large deficit. On July 1, 2007, Serco handed over operations of the airport to the City of Windsor. Windsor City Council had approved of an ad hoc group to run the airport on behalf of the city, named "Your Quick Gateway Inc." (after the airport's call letters, YQG). This private organization was formed by the Windsor City Council, and was supposed to be a "temporary band-aid solution" until another operator was found. However, on November 14, the The Windsor Star had reported that since Your Quick Gateway was so successful in managing the airport, and posting a small profit, that it was given permission to operate the facility indefinitely in this manner.