Charlottetown Airport

For the airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, see List of airports in Newfoundland and Labrador § Charlottetown Airport.

Charlottetown Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerTransport Canada[1]
OperatorCharlottetown Airport Authority
ServesCharlottetown, Prince Edward Island
LocationSherwood, Prince Edward Island
Time zoneAST (UTC−04:00)
 • Summer (DST)ADT (UTC−03:00)
Elevation AMSL167 ft / 51 m
Coordinates46°17′24″N 063°07′16″W / 46.29000°N 63.12111°W / 46.29000; -63.12111[2]
Websitehttps://flyyyg.com/
Map
CYYG
Location on Prince Edward Island
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03/21 7,002 2,134 Asphalt
10/28 7,000 2,134 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Aircraft movements13,343
Number of passengers410,773
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[2]
Environment and Climate Change Canada[3]
Movements from Statistics Canada[4]
[5]

Charlottetown Airport (IATA: YYG, ICAO: CYYG) is located 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) north[2] of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The airport is currently run by the Charlottetown Airport Authority, is owned by Transport Canada and forms part of the National Airports System.[1]

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency. CBSA officers at this airport can handle aircraft with no more than 60 passengers or 368 if off-loaded in stages.[6] They can also unload general aviation aircraft with no more that 15 people on board at the marine terminal.[7]

History

Upton Field

The first aircraft to operate in the Charlottetown area was one that landed at the exhibition grounds east of the city's central business district in 1912; it was not until 1931 that a permanent airfield was built. The first facility was known as Upton Field (later Upton Airport) and consisted of two turf runways 2,800 ft (850 m) and 1,600 ft (490 m) respectively, opening on January 16, 1932. Upton was a farm located in the western part of Queens Royalty, northwest of the city proper. The airfield was leased to Canadian Airways from October 9, 1932, to October 9, 1938, although the airfield was only licensed until June 30, 1938. Throughout this time, Upton Airport received the first air mail service in Canada.

Today the site is farmland and trees, and a popular area for walking dogs, hiking, cross country skiing, and other recreational activities.[8]

Municipal ownership and operation

In June 1938, the city government asked the Department of Transport to assist in the development of an expanded municipal airport. Upton Airport was considered a candidate, as was a 300-acre (1.2 km2) property east of Sherwood Station on the Brackley Point Road. Upton Airport was rejected due to lack of space, and the Sherwood Station property in the central part of Charlottetown Royalty was purchased by the city government for $30,000. The provincial government contributed 50% to the development of the new airport in exchange for 50% of its profits while the city would operate it.

Military operation

Main article: RCAF Station Charlottetown

In December 1939, the city government offered the airport to the federal government for military use through the duration of World War II. The Royal Canadian Air Force expanded the airport and enlarged the runways in preparation for using the airport to train pilots and aircrew. The runways were altered into a classic triangle configuration seen with most British Commonwealth Air Training Plan aerodromes across Canada. The Royal Air Force used the airfield from June 15, 1941, until February 1944 during which time it was known as RCAF Station Charlottetown. Following the departure of the RAF, the RCAF established training units at the airfield, which was renamed RCAF Station Charlottetown.

Federal ownership and operation

Following the end of World War II, the military presence at the airport diminished by late 1945 and the base was decommissioned and transferred from the RCAF to the federal Department of Transport on February 1, 1946, returning the airfield to civilian use.

Several expansions were subsequently undertaken, including an enlarged civilian air terminal off the Brackley Point Road on the west side of the airfield, as well as a lengthening and realigning of what would become runway 03/21 during the 1960s-1970s to accommodate jet aircraft. A major expansion during the 1980s saw the old terminal become a general aviation facility after a new terminal, control tower and emergency services building were constructed further to the north from a continuation of Sherwood Road. This also saw runway 03/21 lengthened to its current configuration.

Charlottetown Airport saw extensive service during the 1960s-1990s from both Air Canada and Eastern Provincial Airways (EPA) to destinations in Atlantic and Central Canada. Following EPA's sale and merger with CP Air, Charlottetown Airport saw direct CP Air service from Central Canada for several years, continued by Canadian Airlines. The creation of Air Canada subsidiary Air Nova and Canadian subsidiary Air Atlantic saw the beginning of a downgrade in direct service by the major carriers from Central Canada and an increase in service from hub airports such as Halifax and Moncton.

The opening of the Confederation Bridge in 1997 coupled with capacity improvements at Moncton and Halifax airports saw many changes to air traffic through Charlottetown.

Charlottetown Airport Authority

On February 28, 1999, Transport Canada transferred operational and financial responsibility for the Charlottetown Airport to the Charlottetown Airport Authority under a 60-year lease arrangement, while the federal government remains the owner of the property.

Passenger traffic by year
Year Passengers % Change Source
1999 187,277 5.3% [9]
2000 166,849 11.0% [10]
2001 176,869 6.0% [11]
2002 158,746 10.2% [12]
2003 163,488 3.0% [12]
2004 168,997 3.4% [12]
2005 189,547 12.2% [12]
2006 224,840 18.6% [12]
2007 253,224 12.3% [13]
2008 282,385 11.5% [14]
2009 278,573 1.3% [15]
2010 289,597 4.0% [16]
2011 285,158 1.5% [17]
2012 297,329 4.3% [18]
2013 296,301 0.3% [19]
2014 317,827 7.3% [20]
2015 316,628 0.3% [21]
2016 354,234 12% [22]
2017 370,688 4.6% [23]
2018 370,730 0.1% [24]
2019 383,183 3.4% [25]
2020 71,480 81.3% [26]
2021 111,160 55.5% [27]
2022 341,649 207.3% [28]
2023 402,686 17.9% [29]
2024 410,773 2.0% [30]

Since the turn of the millennium, and especially since the mid-2000s, Charlottetown Airport has seen a considerable increase in the number of flights. The trend started when Air Canada introduced non-stop flights to Montréal–Trudeau International Airport from Charlottetown after the acquisition of Canadian Airlines. In early 2003, Jetsgo introduced non-stop flights from Charlottetown. The flights didn't last long, as Jetsgo declared bankruptcy and shut down in March 2005.

In 2016 and 2017, the airport underwent major renovations to expand the size of the main terminal apron as well as a major expansion to runway 10/28 to have two 7,000 ft (2,100 m) runways. Runway 10/28 reopened in late summer 2017. The renovations also included remodelling and added amenities within the terminal building, including a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) customs office.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport saw greatly diminished air carrier capacity. Only Air Canada Cargo was left operating at the airport in March and April 2020. Limited passenger service returned with Air Canada in May 2020, and continued on its own until late 2021. In late 2021, Flair Airlines announced they would be operating a flight between Toronto and Charlottetown. Then, in May 2022, Swoop Airlines commenced operations between Toronto and Charlottetown, flying three times a week. In the summer of 2021, WestJet began to operate a direct flight between Charlottetown and Calgary.[31] Porter Airlines began operating daily flights to Ottawa from Charlottetown in May 2023. In June 2023, WestJet started operating a direct flight between Charlottetown and Edmonton.[32]

Airport traffic returned to near pre-pandemic levels in 2022, breaking the airport’s passenger count records for October and November.[33]

In 2022, the airport began a $20 million expansion to the main terminal building, planning to expand passenger seating as well as to create an outdoor seating area.[34]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Air Canada Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson[35]
Air Canada Express Montréal–Trudeau,[36] Toronto–Pearson[35]
Air Canada Rouge Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau,[36] Toronto–Pearson[35]
Air Transat Seasonal: Cancún[37]
Flair Airlines Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson[38]
Porter Airlines Ottawa[39]
Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson[35][40]
WestJet Seasonal: Calgary,[41] Edmonton[42][43]

Historical passenger airline service: 1960s-2000s

Eastern Provincial Airways served the airport during the 1960s with Douglas DC-3 prop aircraft and Handley Page Dart Herald turboprop aircraft.[44] By 1970, Eastern Provincial had introduced jet service with Boeing 737 aircraft and was operating non-stop 737-200 series flights to Halifax and Montreal as well as direct, no change of plane 737 service to Sydney, Nova Scotia, Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.[45]

In 1975, Eastern Provincial Airlines was the only airline operating scheduled flights into the airport with non-stop Boeing 737-200 jet service from Halifax and Montreal as well as non-stop Handley Page Dart Herald turboprop service from Halifax, the Magdalen Islands and Moncton.[46]

According to the OAG, a second airline was serving the airport by early 1976: Air Canada operating non-stop McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jet service from Ottawa with these flights also providing one stop direct, no change of plane service from Toronto.[47]

This same OAG also lists Eastern Provincial's flights with Boeing 737-200 jet service being operated on the same routes with the airline also having replaced its Handley Page Dart Herald aircraft with Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprops by this time.

Air Canada and Eastern Provincial were continuing to serve the airport during the early 1980s with Air Canada operating one daily nonstop to Ottawa with a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 with this flight continuing on to Toronto while Eastern Provincial was operating one daily nonstop flight to Montreal with a Boeing 737-200.[48] However, by early 1985, Eastern Provincial, while continuing to serve the airport, was no longer operating nonstop flights to Montreal from Charlottetown.[49] Eastern Provincial then merged with CP Air in 1986 to form Canadian Pacific Air Lines and successor Canadian Airlines was continuing to operate Boeing 737-200 jet service from the airport during the late 1980s.[50]

In the late summer of 1994, three airlines were serving Charlottetown: Air Canada with one daily mainline DC-9-30 jet flight from Toronto which made an en route stop at Moncton, Air Nova operating code sharing service for Air Canada with six non-stop flights from Halifax operated every weekday flown with De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprop aircraft and Air Atlantic operating code sharing service for Canadian Airlines with seven non-stop flights from Halifax every weekday also flown with Dash 8 aircraft.[51] According to the OAG, Air Nova and Air Atlantic were also operating direct, no change of plane Dash 8 service into Charlottetown from Boston, Moncton and Saint John, New Brunswick with Air Nova operating direct Dash 8 flights from Fredericton, Quebec City and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia as well while Canadian Airlines was no longer operating mainline jet service into the airport at this time in 1994. By 1995, two airlines were operating non-stop service from the airport to Toronto with each air carrier operating one daily flight: Air Canada with regional jet service using the Canadair CRJ and Atlantic Island Airways with Fokker F28 Fellowship jet service.[52] In 1999, Air Canada was operating its daily mainline non-stop flight to Toronto with a DC-9-30 jet while at the same time Royal Aviation was operating one non-stop flight a week to Toronto with a Boeing 757-200 jet.[53]

During the summer of 2003, Jetsgo, a startup air carrier which flew Fokker 100 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets, was operating three nonstop flights a week to Toronto and one nonstop flight a week to Montreal.[54]

References

  1. ^ a b "Airport Divestiture Status Report". Transport Canada. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 27 November 2025 to 0901Z 22 January 2026.
  3. ^ Synoptic/Metstat Station Information Archived December 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Total aircraft movements by class of operation — NAV CANADA flight service stations
  5. ^ "Charlottetown airport saw more than 400K passengers in 2024". CTV News Prince Edward Island. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "Site Name: Charlottetown Airport - CYYG". Canada Border Services Agency. August 22, 2025. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  7. ^ "Site Name: Charlottetown Marine Terminal - CYYG". Canada Border Services Agency. August 22, 2025. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  8. ^ Ekistiks Planning and Design (May 2014). Upton Farm Master Plan (PDF) (Report). Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "26th Annual Statistical Review 1999" (PDF). Government of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  10. ^ "27th Annual Statistical Review 2000" (PDF). Government of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  11. ^ "28th Annual Statistical Review 2001" (PDF). Government of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d e "33rd Annual Statistical Review 2006" (PDF). Government of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 95. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  13. ^ "2007 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 4. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  14. ^ "2008 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 7. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  15. ^ "2009 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 4. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  16. ^ "2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 4. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  17. ^ "2011 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 5. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  18. ^ "2012 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 12. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  19. ^ "2013 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 4. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  20. ^ "2014 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 5. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  21. ^ "2015 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. p. 5. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  22. ^ "Charlottetown Airport breaks all-time passenger record in 2016". www.flypei.com. January 12, 2017. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017.
  23. ^ "Charlottetown Airport has Another Record Setting Year". www.flypei.com. January 9, 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018.
  24. ^ "Charlottetown Airport Achieves Third Consecutive Year of Traffic Growth". www.flypei.com. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019.
  25. ^ "Charlottetown Airport Authority 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  26. ^ "Charlottetown Airport Authority 2020 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  27. ^ "2021 Annual Report" (PDF). Charlottetown Airport Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  28. ^ "2022 Annual Report". Charlottetown Airport Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "YYG Charlottetown Airport Reports Record Year for Passenger Travel". Charlottetown Airport Authority. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  30. ^ "YYG Reports Another Year of Record Passenger Numbers". Charlottetown Airport Authority. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  31. ^ "Charlottetown Airport sees airlines adding extra flights, extra seats". CBC News. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "More nonstop WestJet cross-country and U.S. flights from Edmonton International Airport". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  33. ^ Davis, Tony (May 1, 2022). "Charlottetown Airport may soon return to pre-pandemic levels of air traffic". CBC. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  34. ^ Goodsell, Devon (May 2, 2023). "Charlottetown Airport gets $1M in provincial funding to help it rebound". CBC. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  35. ^ a b c d "Toronto, ON, Canada YTO". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1156–1162. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  36. ^ a b "Montreal, QC, Canada YMQ". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 768–771. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  37. ^ "Air Transat NW25 Cancun / Punta Cana Network Expansion". Aeroroutes. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  38. ^ "Flair Returning to YYG this Summer". YYG Charlottetown Airport. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  39. ^ "Ottawa, ON, Canada YOW". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 876–876. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  40. ^ "Porter Airlines growing Atlantic Canada access to Charlottetown and Deer Lake". Yahoo Finance. February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  41. ^ "Calgary, AB, Canada YYC". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 204–206. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  42. ^ "Edmonton, AB, Canada YEA". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 373–374. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  43. ^ "WESTJET NS23 NORTH AMERICA NETWORK CHANGES – 12FEB23". AeroRoutes. February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  44. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, October 26, 1964 & October 31, 1966, Eastern Provincial Airways system timetables
  45. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, September 1, 1970, Eastern Provincial Airways system timetable
  46. ^ http://www.departedfligthts.com, April 15, 1975, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Charlottetown flight schedules
  47. ^ February 1, 1976, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Charlottetown flight schedules
  48. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, April 1, 1981, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Toronto & Montreal flight schedules
  49. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, February 15, 1985, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Montreal flight schedules
  50. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, December 15, 1989, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Halifax flight schedules
  51. ^ September 15, 1994, OAG Desktop Flight Guide, North American edition
  52. ^ http://www/departedflights.com, April 2, 1995, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Toronto flight schedules
  53. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1999, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Toronto flight schedules
  54. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Summer 2003 timetable
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charlottetown Airport.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.