YEG Edmonton International Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Transport Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Edmonton Airports | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Edmonton Metropolitan Region | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Leduc County, betweenLeduc andEdmonton, Alberta, Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | November 15, 1960; 65 years ago (1960-11-15) | ||||||||||||||
| Focus city for | WestJet | ||||||||||||||
| Operating base for | |||||||||||||||
| Time zone | MST (UTC−07:00) | ||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC−06:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,373 ft / 723 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°18′36″N113°34′46″W / 53.31000°N 113.57944°W /53.31000; -113.57944 | ||||||||||||||
| Public transit access |   747 Leduc Transit 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  CYEG Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta CYEG CYEG (Canada) Show map of Canada | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||
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| Sources:Canada Flight Supplement[1] Environment Canada[2] Movements fromStatistics Canada[3] Passengers from Edmonton Airports.[4] | |||||||||||||||
Edmonton International Airport (IATA:YEG,ICAO:CYEG), officially brandedYEG Edmonton International Airport,[5] is aninternational airport[6] that serves as the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in theEdmonton Metropolitan Region of theCanadian province ofAlberta. It is located 30 km (19 mi) south ofDowntown Edmonton[7] inLeduc County onHighway 2 opposite of the city ofLeduc, and spans just under 28 km2 (7,000 acres)[8][9] making it the largest airport in Canada by land area and the 5thbusiest airport in the country by passenger traffic.[3]
The airport offers schedulednon-stop flights to major cities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe. It is ahub facility forNorthern Alberta andNorthern Canada. The airport serves as the headquarters and hub for two major Canadian airlines, passenger carrierFlair Airlines[10] and cargo carrierMorningstar Air Express.[11]
Transport Canada selected the current site for Edmonton International Airport, on the opposite side of the city from the military airport atRCAF Station Namao, and purchased over 28 km2 (7,000 acres) of land. When the airport opened on November 15, 1960,[12] its firstterminal was an archhangar. Today, it is in use bySummit Air. In 1963, a passenger terminal, built in theinternational style, was opened. It remains in use as the North Terminal. Artwork, fired by Alberta natural gas, adorned the departures area exterior. A large mural, commissioned by the Canadian government in 1963 for $18,000 titledBush Pilot in Northern Sky byJack Shadbolt, remains to this day. An appraisal in 2005 indicated that the mural was worth $750,000, and a restoration of the mural was undertaken in 2007.
During the 1970s, the airport experienced rapid growth in traffic as the city ofEdmonton grew, and served approximately 2 million passengers by 1980. However, from the early 1980s until 1995, traffic declined. This decline was attributed to the continued usage ofEdmonton City Centre Airport as well as to a slowing economy. Edmonton City Centre did not have the facilities to accept large wide-bodied, long-haul aircraft. Thus airlines used City Centre to flyshort-haul flights to hubs in other cities where connections to many locations were available.
Growth returned in 1995. In the1995 Edmonton municipal election, 77% of voters approved byplebiscite to consolidate all scheduled jet passenger service at Edmonton International Airport.[13]
In 1998, the airport began the $282 million "1998–2005 Redevelopment Project".[14] The three-phase project included the construction of the south terminal and central hall concept, a commuter facility, doubling of theapron, and amultistorey parkade. This redevelopment project expanded the passenger capacity to 5.5 million.
By the time the expansion project was completed in 2005, continued passenger growth triggered planning for another expansion.[15] A new 9,900 m2 (107,000 sq ft) control and office tower was added in 2009.[16]
Further expansions completed in 2013 including seven new passenger gates, 14 boarding bridges, moving walkways, and advanced baggage handling and scanning systems. A newRenaissance Hotel was another major addition to the airport landscape.
The airport played a major role during the2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, operating as hubs for aerialfirefighting andmedical evacuation. The airport became a way-station and temporary shelter for thousands of Fort McMurray evacuees. The Emergency Operations Centre in the airport ran for 112 hours, organizing the arrival and departure of hundreds of aircraft. During May 2016, the airport saw more than 300 additional daily flights on top of their regularly scheduled service.[17]
In August 2016, the Government of Alberta announced $90 million in funding to begin twinningHighway 19 and that it has protected the area needed for a third runway, which is required due its estimated 3,530 m (11,580 ft) length and orientation as runway 11/29, causing it to exceed current airport boundaries.[18] The airport also plans to extend runway 12/30 by one-third its current length from 3,100 to 4,030 m (10,170 to 13,220 ft) to increase accessibility and capacity tied toPort Alberta Developments/Intercontinental routes.[19]
The airport had international service soon after it opened. In 1960,Canadian Pacific Airlines was operating nonstop flights to Amsterdam withBristol Britannia turboprop aircraft several times a week.[20] By 1961, Canadian Pacific had introducedDouglas DC-8 jetliners on its nonstop service to Amsterdam.[20] Also in 1961, US-basedNorthwest Airlines was operating dailyDouglas DC-7C propliner service on a routing of Edmonton–Winnipeg–Minneapolis/St. Paul–Milwaukee–New York CityIdlewild Airport (nowJFK Airport).[20] In 1962,Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA, nowAir Canada) operated direct flights to London'sHeathrow Airport once a week via a stop in Winnipeg and also to ParisOrly Airport three times a week via stops in Toronto and Montreal with DC-8 jets.[20]
During the late 1960s and early 1970s,Pacific Western Airlines operatedBoeing 707 charter flights from the airport to the UK and other destinations in Europe.[20] In 1970, Air Canada operated nonstop DC-8 service to London-Heathrow twice a week while CP Air flew nonstop DC-8 service to Amsterdam three times a week.[20] CP Air then introducedBoeing 747 jumbo jet service nonstop to Amsterdam with two flights a week being operated in 1976. By 1978, the airline was also flying nonstop 747 service to Honolulu.[20][21] Air Canada had also begun daily nonstopBoeing 727-200 service to both Los Angeles and San Francisco by 1979 and was operating direct one stopMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 service toChicago O'Hare Airport via Winnipeg by 1985.[21] Earlier, in 1983, both airlines were operating wide body jetliners on their respective services to Europe with Air Canada flyingLockheed L-1011 TriStar long range series 500 model aircraft three days a week nonstop to London Heathrow while CP Air was flying 747s three days a week nonstop to Amsterdam.[21]
Wardair Canada also operated scheduled and charter flights to Europe as well as charter service to Hawaii from the airport and in 1979 was operating nonstop charter service to LondonGatwick Airport and Prestwick in the UK as well as to Amsterdam and Frankfurt.[21] In 1989, Wardair Canada was operating scheduled nonstop service to London Gatwick and Manchester in the UK and was also operating nonstop charter service at this same time to Frankfurt and Honolulu.[21] The Wardair nonstop service to London Gatwick was being operated withAirbus A310 jets with two flights a week in 1989.[21]LOT Polish Airlines flew to Warsaw, Poland until 2001.
Several US-based air carriers besides Northwest served the airport over the years as well. By 1975, Northwest was operating nonstopBoeing 727-100 jet service to both Anchorage and Minneapolis/St. Paul whileWestern Airlines was flying Boeing 727-200 andBoeing 737-200 jets direct to Denver, Salt Lake City and Great Falls (with all of these services first stopping in Calgary).Hughes Airwest also served the airport withDouglas DC-9-10 andMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets on nonstop flights to Spokane as well as direct flights to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.[21]
By 1980, Hughes Airwest was operating five daily departures from Edmonton with 727-200 and DC-9-30 jetliners with direct service via Calgary to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Burbank, Reno, Boise, Spokane and Palm Springs.[21] In 1981, Western Airlines was operating a daily nonstop 727-200 flight to Denver with continuing direct service to Phoenix and Los Angeles whileRepublic Airlines, which had acquired Hughes Airwest, flew daily nonstop DC-9-10 service to Las Vegas and Spokane.[21] By 1982, Republic Airlines was operating all of its flights to the U.S. from Edmonton via an intermediate stop in Calgary with direct service to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Spokane and Palm Springs.[21] Also in 1982, Northwest was operating a daily 727-200 flight on a routing of Edmonton–Minneapolis/St. Paul–ChicagoO'Hare Airport–Miami–Fort Lauderdale.[21]United Airlines operated a daily 727-100 nonstop flight to San Francisco with direct one-stop service to Los Angeles in 1983.[21] Western Airlines operated a 727-200 nonstop to Salt Lake City in 1987 with this daily flight providing direct one stop service to Los Angeles.[21]Delta Air Lines then acquired and merged with Western with Delta continuing to operate nonstop service to Salt Lake City from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, first with a 727-200 and later with aBoeing 757-200 with these flights providing direct one stop service to Los Angeles as well.[21]
In 1999,Canadian Airlines International flew daily nonstop 737-200 service to Chicago O'Hare Airport whileAir BC flew nonstopBritish Aerospace 146 jet service to Denver on behalf of Air Canada on acode sharing basis as an Air Canada Connector air carrier.[21] Also in 1999,Horizon Air began nonstopFokker F28 Fellowship jet service to Seattle flying on behalf ofAlaska Airlines on a code sharing basis.[21]Martinair Holland also operated flights between Edmonton International Airport andAmsterdam Schiphol Airport prior to the termination of this airline's passenger service.[22] In 2005,America West Express operated byMesa Airlines via a code sharing agreement on behalf ofAmerica West Airlines was flying nonstop to Los Angeles withBombardier CRJ900 aircraft.[23]
Edmonton International Airport offersUnited States border preclearance facilities.[24] Passengers from domestic flights connecting in Edmonton to a US destination use Quick Connect, which enables passengers to clear US Customs and Border Protection without having toclaim and recheck baggage or re-clear security during the connection. The airport has an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and two Plaza Premium lounges.[25][26]
The 213-room in-airportRenaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel is located groundside within the terminal complex.[27]
Edmonton International Airport provides scheduled non-stop flights to over 50 destinations. It serves as the hub forFlair Airlines.[28] Edmonton is one ofWestJet's main hubs; the airline flies to 30 destinations with an average of 62 daily departures, nonstop, from Edmonton. WestJet (and its subsidiaries) are the largest carriers at Edmonton International Airport, holding more than 70% of the market share.[29][30][31]
| Map of North American passenger destinations |
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Edmonton Canadian destinations from Edmonton International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination  Edmonton North American destinations from Edmonton International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue= Future destination Hawaii destinations from Edmonton International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue= Future destination |
| Map of European passenger destinations |
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Destinations from Edmonton International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue= Future destination |
The airport is home to a purpose-built facility on its southern edge that is shared byAlberta Health Services fixed-wing air ambulance operations, as well as one of three bases in the province forSTARS helicopter air ambulance.Nor-Alta Aviation also provides Air Ambulance services at Edmonton Airport under contract from Alberta Health Services. Nor-Alta Aviation purchased Can-West Corporate Air Charters Ltd. and becameCan-West Corporate Air Charters a Nor-Alta Aviation Company in late 2015.[75]
Edmonton Airport is also the base airport for Jet Companion, a Canadian aeromedical transport company that is active in medical repatriation missions and patient transfers in general, by commercial flights or stretcher charter. Jet Companion aeromedical crews travel in and out of Edmonton Airport on a daily basis as part of their medical missions elsewhere in Canada, or anywhere in the world.[76]
The EdmontonArea Control Centre (ICAO:CZEG) operated byNav Canada is located at the airport. It is responsible for all aircraft movements over aflight information region (FIR) consisting of Alberta and most ofnorthern Canada, including the highArctic.[77]
Edmonton-based Flair Airlines maintains its headquarters and operational offices at Edmonton International Airport.[78] Ontario-basedCanadian North maintains its operations facilities at EIA.[79][80]
Private aviation companies Aurora Jet Partners[81] and Airco Aircraft Charters[82] are headquartered at the airport.
The Alberta Aviation Council, a non-profit group that represents the aviation and aerospace industries in Alberta, is headquartered at the airport.[83]
ThePremium Outlet Collection EIA outlet mall is located at the airport.[84] Construction officially began in spring 2016 on the 39,800 m2 (428,000 sq ft) shopping mall and opened on May 2, 2018.[85] The mall features over 100 outlet stores, with many of them making their Canadian debut.[86] Adjacent to the mall are abusiness park and hotels.
The RedTail Landing Golf Club and theCentury Mile Racetrack and Casino are located on the northeast corner of the airport grounds, while theRAD Torque Raceway is located on the northwest corner.[87][88][89]
In 2016, Aurora Sky began building the world's largest and most advancedmarijuana production facility. The facility, which is expected to be completed by 2018, will be over 75,000 m2 (810,000 sq ft) in area and produce more than 100,000 kg (220,000 lb) of cannabis annually.[90] In August 2022, the facility was sold; it will be used for greenhouse vegetables and other horticulture by Bevo Farms.[91]
The idea to rename Edmonton International Airport as EdmontonMax Ward International Airport, in honour of Edmonton native Maxwell W. Ward, was first conceived by aviation enthusiast Bill Powell, following Ward's death in November 2020. Powell was 13 years old the first time he wrote to Max Ward, former bush pilot and founder of Canadian airlineWardair, after his first Wardair flight, and is leading the push to rename the airport in honour of the aviation legend.[92]
On November 6, 2020, a Change.org petition was launched byWestern Aviation News[93] to rename Edmonton International Airport as Edmonton Max Ward International Airport. And an official Canadian House of Commons petition was also launched by Powell on February 2, 2021, and sponsored byMike Lake, Member of Parliament for Edmonton—Wetaskiwin.
On the morning of August 29, 2022, Edmonton International Airport officially transitioned from EIA to YEG using the YEG acronym from the IATA identifier of the airport as part of the official name.[5]
| Rank | Destinations | Flights per week | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto–Pearson, Ontario | 132 | Air Canada, Flair, Porter, WestJet |
| 1 | Vancouver, British Columbia | 132 | Air Canada, Flair, WestJet |
| 3 | Calgary, Alberta | 90 | Air Canada, Air North, WestJet |
| 4 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | 39 | Flair, WestJet |
| 4 | Kelowna, British Columbia | 39 | Flair, WestJet |
| 5 | Abbotsford, British Columbia | 32 | Flair, WestJet |
| 6 | Montréal, Quebec | 28 | Air Canada, Porter |
| 7 | Ottawa, Ontario | 26 | Porter, WestJet |
| 8 | Victoria, British Columbia | 25 | Flair, WestJet |
| 10 | Yellowknife, Northwest Territories | 21 | Air Canada, Canada North, Air Tindi, WestJet |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 175,589 | WestJet |
| 2 | Denver, Colorado | 164,775 | United, WestJet |
| 3 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 111,541 | KLM |
| 4 | Los Angeles, California | 105,926 | WestJet |
| 5 | Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona | 104,693 | WestJet |
| 6 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota | 99,762 | WestJet |
| 7 | Cancún, Mexico | 80,769 | Air Canada, WestJet |
| 8 | Seattle, Washington | 77,379 | Alaska, WestJet |
| 9 | Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | 86,244 | WestJet |
| 10 | Atlanta, Georgia | 55,789 | WestJet |
| Year | Total passengers | % change | Domestic | % change | Transborder | % change | International | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 6,089,099 |  | 4,725,577 | | 1,003,813 | | 359,709 | |
| 2011 | 6,277,137 |  3.0% | 4,814,157 | 1.9% | 1,085,466 | 8.1% | 377,514 | 5% |
| 2012 | 6,676,857 | 6.3% | 5,109,637 | 6.1% | 1,174,294 | 8.2% | 392,926 | 3.9% |
| 2013 | 7,697,995 | 15.2% | 5,312,226 | 4.0% | 1,264,796 | 7.7% | 406,207 | 3.4% |
| 2014 | 8,240,161 | 7.4% | 5,500,592 | 3.5% | 1,372,669 | 8.5% | 459,260 | 13.1% |
| 2015 | 7,981,074 |  3.1% | 5,526,985 | 0.5% | 1,228,134 | 10.5% | 525,801 | 14.5% |
| 2016 | 7,628,507 | 4.4% | 5,636,112 | 2.0% | 916,674 | 25.4% | 474,132 | 9.8% |
| 2017 | 7,807,384 | 3.8% | 6,023,658 | 6.9% | 879,833 | 4.0% | 474,139 | |
| 2018 | 8,254,121 | 5.8% | 6,395,357 | 6.3% | 967,371 | 9.9% | 467,501 | 1.4% |
| 2019 | 8,151,532 | 1.2% | 6,236,525 | 2.5% | 970,895 | 0.4% | 449,652 | 3.8% |
| 2020 | 2,628,891 | 67.7% | 1,923,722 | 69.2% | 209,154 | 78.5% | 161,181 | 64.2% |
| 2021 | 2,793,581 | 6.3% | 2,247,159 | 16.8% | 49,114 | 76.5% | 59,958 | 62.8% |
| 2022 | 5,849,674 | 109.4% | 4,676,738 | 108.1% | 429,941 | 775.4% | 273,667 | 356.4% |
| 2023 | 7,499,163 | 28.2% | 5,694,510 | 21.8% | 737,613 | 71.9% | 485.296 | 77.5% |
| 2024 | 7,919,690 | 5.6% | 5,751,683 | 1.0% | 946,154 | 28.3% | 521,845 | 7.5% |
Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) provides express service between the Edmonton International Airport and theCentury Park LRT Station, facilitating connections to the region's wider transit system. Route 747 runs between 4:10 a.m. and midnight every 30 minutes most times of the day.[100][101]
Leduc Transit's Route 10 provides service between the airport and the city ofLeduc.[102]
Sundog Tours providescoach service fromJasper National Park viaEdmonton,Edson, andHinton.[103]
Ebus offers daily and direct coach service fromRed Deer andCalgary.[104]
The airport is accessible fromAlberta Highway 2 south of Edmonton.
The airport is the subject of the 2016reality seriesAirport: Below Zero produced byHistory (Canadian TV channel).[105]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
A- Nov. 15, 1960 Canadian Pacific Airlines system timetable. B- April 30, 1961 Canadian Pacific Airlines system timetable. C- May 28, 1961 Northwest Airlines system timetable. D- April 29, 1962 Trans-Canada Airlines system timetable. E- June 24, 1968 & Feb. 1, 1971 Pacific Western Airlines timetables & route maps. F- April 26, 1970 Air Canada system timetable & July 15, 1970 CP Air system timetable. G- April 25, 1976 CP Air system timetable
A- Oct. 29, 1978 CP Air system timetable. B- Nov. 15, 1979 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Edmonton International flight schedules. C-Sept. 9, 1985 Air Canada system timetable. D- July 1, 1983 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Amsterdam-Edmonton & London-Edmonton flight schedules. E- April 1979 Wardair route map. F-1989 Wardair route map. G-Jan. 9, 1989 Official Airline Guide (OAG), London Gatwick Airport flight schedules. H- April 15, 1975 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Edmonton, Calgary, Great Falls, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles flight schedules. I- Sept. 1, 1980 Hughes Airwest system timetable. J- April 1, 1981 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Edmonton International flight schedules. K- Aug. 1, 1982 Republic Airlines system timetable. L- Aug. 1, 1982 Northwest Airlines system timetable. M- July 1, 1983 Official Airline Guide (OAG), San Francisco-Edmonton flight schedules. N- March 1, 1987 Western Airlines system timetable. O- Dec. 15, 1989; Oct. 1, 1991; April 2, 1995 Official Airline Guide (OAG) editions, Salt Lake City & Los Angeles flight schedules . P & Q-June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Edmonton International flight schedules.
Canadian North Charter Terminal, 3731 52 Ave E. Edmonton International Airport, AB. T9E 0V4
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