National Airports System (Canada)
Encyclopedia
Canada's National Airport System (NAS) was defined in the National Airports Policy
National Airports Policy (Canada)
The National Airports Policy is a program of the Government of Canada involving the privatization or private operation of nearly all of the country's airports that was commenced during the 1990s....

 published in 1994. It was intended to include all airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

s with an annual traffic of 200,000 passengers or more, as well as airports serving the national
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, provincial and territorial capitals.

Any airport sustaining an annual traffic of 200,000 passengers or more for a period of three years will be added to the NAS. Any non-capital airport falling below this threshold for a period of three years will be removed from the NAS. However, since the introduction of the policy only one, Iqaluit Airport
Iqaluit Airport
Iqaluit Airport serves Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada and is located adjacent to the town. It is operated by the government of Nunavut. It hosts scheduled passenger service from Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin Inlet and Kuujjuaq on carriers such as First Air and Canadian North, as well as from smaller...

, has been added and no airports have been removed despite dropping below 200,000 passengers, such as Montréal-Mirabel International Airport
Montréal-Mirabel International Airport
Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, originally called Montréal International Airport and widely known simply as Mirabel is an airport located in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal and was opened October 4, 1975...

 and Gander International Airport
Gander International Airport
Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is currently run by the Gander Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport.-Early years and prominence:...

.

All airports, with the exception of the three territorial capitals, in the NAS are owned by Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...

 and leased to the local authorities operating them.

As of 1994, the 26 NAS airports served 94% of all scheduled passenger and cargo traffic in Canada.

NAS Airports

The following list contains the 26 NAS airports effective 17 April 2010, along with their IATA codes and passenger numbers for 2008:
  • British Columbia
    British Columbia
    British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

    • Kelowna International Airport
      Kelowna International Airport
      Kelowna International Airport is a Canadian airport located approximately 10 minutes or northeast of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on Highway 97....

      , YLW, 1,359,619
    • Prince George Airport
      Prince George Airport
      Prince George Airport is an airport that serves Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, and the surrounding area. It is located just within the southern boundary of the city, southeast, and is run by the Prince George Airport Authority....

      , YXS, 409,929
    • Vancouver International Airport
      Vancouver International Airport
      Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...

      , YVR, 17,057,968
    • Victoria International Airport
      Victoria International Airport
      Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest of the city, in North Saanich, quite close to the town of Sidney on the Saanich Peninsula...

      , YYJ, 1,501,189

  • Alberta
    Alberta
    Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

    • Calgary International Airport
      Calgary International Airport
      Calgary International Airport, , is the international airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; it is situated approximately northeast of downtown Calgary...

      , YYC, 12,173,977
    • Edmonton International Airport
      Edmonton International Airport
      Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton region in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a hub facility for Northern Alberta and Northern Canada providing regularly scheduled nonstop flights to over fifty communities in Canada, the United...

      , YEG, 6,230,876

  • Saskatchewan
    Saskatchewan
    Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

    • Regina International Airport
      Regina International Airport
      Regina International Airport is an international airport located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, located south-west and west south-west of the city centre. It is run by the Regina Airport Authority. It is, as of 2010, the second busiest airport in Saskatchewan Regina International Airport is...

      , YQR, 991,108
    • Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, YXE, 1,102,924

  • Manitoba
    Manitoba
    Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

    • Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, YWG, 3,452,307

  • Ontario
    Ontario
    Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

    • London International Airport
      London International Airport
      London International Airport or London Airport is located northeast of the city of London, Ontario, Canada.In 2009, the airport handled 501,835 passengers, and, in 2010, was the 9th busiest in Canada in terms of aircraft movements, with 141,001. Air Canada, Air Canada Express, United Express ,...

      , YXU, 462,019
    • Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
      Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
      Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport or Macdonald-Cartier International Airport , in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is named after Sirs John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier...

      , YOW, 4,146,628
    • Thunder Bay International Airport
      Thunder Bay International Airport
      Thunder Bay Airport or Thunder Bay International Airport, , is an airport in the Canadian city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. With 80,591 aircraft movements in 2010 it was the 7th busiest airport in Ontario and the 24th busiest airport in Canada...

      , YQT, 625,345
    • Toronto Pearson International Airport
      Toronto Pearson International Airport
      Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...

      , YYZ, 30,127,431

  • Quebec
    Quebec
    Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

    • Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
      Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
      Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport or Montréal-Trudeau, formerly known as Montréal-Dorval International Airport, is located on the Island of Montreal, from Montreal's downtown core. The airport terminals are located entirely in Dorval, while the Air Canada headquarters complex...

      , YUL, 12,032,699
    • Montréal-Mirabel International Airport
      Montréal-Mirabel International Airport
      Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, originally called Montréal International Airport and widely known simply as Mirabel is an airport located in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal and was opened October 4, 1975...

      , YMX, n/a <200,000
    • Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, YQB, 1,099,915

  • New Brunswick
    New Brunswick
    New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

    • Fredericton International Airport, YFC, 248,740 (2007)
    • Greater Moncton International Airport
      Greater Moncton International Airport
      Greater Moncton International Airport or Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport is located in the city of Dieppe east northeast of downtown Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada...

      , YQM, 549,315
    • Saint John Airport
      Saint John Airport
      Saint John Airport is an airport located east northeast of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.Part of the National Airports System, it is owned by Transport Canada and operated by Saint John Airport Inc....

      , YSJ, 238,300

  • Nova Scotia
    Nova Scotia
    Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

    • Halifax Stanfield International Airport, YHZ, 3,458,961

  • Prince Edward Island
    Prince Edward Island
    Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

    • Charlottetown Airport
      Charlottetown Airport
      Charlottetown Airport, , is located north 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....

      , YYG, 272,381

  • Newfoundland and Labrador
    Newfoundland and Labrador
    Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

    • Gander International Airport
      Gander International Airport
      Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is currently run by the Gander Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport.-Early years and prominence:...

      , YQX, 89,829
    • St. John's International Airport
      St. John's International Airport
      St. John's International Airport is an international airport located northwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada that serves the St. John's Metro Area and the Avalon Peninsula. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by St...

      , YYT, 1,184,655

  • Nunavut
    Nunavut
    Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

    • Iqaluit Airport
      Iqaluit Airport
      Iqaluit Airport serves Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada and is located adjacent to the town. It is operated by the government of Nunavut. It hosts scheduled passenger service from Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin Inlet and Kuujjuaq on carriers such as First Air and Canadian North, as well as from smaller...

      , YFB, 113,130 (2007)

  • Northwest Territories
    Northwest Territories
    The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

    • Yellowknife Airport
      Yellowknife Airport
      Yellowknife Airport is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by the government of the Northwest Territories. The airport has regular scheduled passenger service, and is also used as a forward operating base for...

      , YZF, 304,327

  • Yukon
    Yukon
    Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....

    • Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport, YXY, 199,594

External links

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