View source for Thunder Bay International Airport

{{Short description|Airport in Ontario, Canada}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                = Thunder Bay Airport
| nativename          = {{lang|fr|Aéroport de Thunder Bay}}
| image               = Thunder Bay Airport logo.svg
| image2              = Thunder Bay Airport 1.JPG
| IATA                = YQT
| ICAO                = CYQT
| WMO                 = 71749
| type                = Public
| owner               = [[Transport Canada]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/Airports/Status/menu.htm|title=National Airports Policy (NAP): Airports Transfer Plan Updated October 01, 2005|website=www.tc.gc.ca|archive-date=May 1, 2006 |publisher= Transport Canada|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501083045/http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/Airports/Status/menu.htm}}</ref>
| operator            = Thunder Bay International Airports Authority
| city-served         = [[Thunder Bay]], [[Ontario]]
| opened              = {{start date and age|1938||}}
| timezone            = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc                 = [[UTC−05:00]]
| summer              = EDT
| utcs                = [[UTC−04:00]]
| elevation-f         = 654
| coordinates         = {{coord|48|22|19|N|089|19|18|W|region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map         = Canada Ontario#Canada
| pushpin_label       = '''YQT'''/CYQT
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ontario
| website             = {{URL|www.tbairport.on.ca}}
| r1-number           = 07/25
| r1-length-f         = 7,318
| r1-surface          = Asphalt
| r2-number           = 12/30
| r2-length-f         = 5,297
| r2-surface          = Asphalt
| stat-year           = 2023
| stat1-header        = Aircraft movements
| stat1-data          = 69,347
| stat2-header        = Total Passengers
| stat2-data          = 714,070
| footnotes           = Sources: [[Canada Flight Supplement]]<ref name="CFS">{{CFS}}</ref><br />[[Environment Canada]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/prods_servs/metstat1_e.html|title=Synoptic/Metstat Station Information|website=weatheroffice.gc.ca|access-date=29 March 2018|archive-date=7 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707173458/http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/prods_servs/metstat1_e.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />Movements from [[Statistics Canada]]<ref name="move">{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/51-209-x/2013001/t002-eng.htm|title=Aircraft Movement Statistics: NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations: Annual Report (TP 577): Table 2-1 — Total aircraft movements by class of operation — NAV CANADA towers|first=Government of Canada, Statistics|last=Canada|website=www.statcan.gc.ca|access-date=29 March 2018}}</ref><br />Passengers from Thunder Bay Airport Authority Inc.<ref name="pax2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.tbairport.on.ca/page/annual-reports|title=Annual Reports|website=www.tbairport.on.ca|access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>
| publictransit = {{rint|bus|1}} [[Thunder Bay Transit]] {{rbox|14||teal|white}}
}}
[[File:Thunder Bay International Airports Authority Logo.svg|thumb|Logo prior to 2015]]
[[File:Thunder Bay Airport 3.JPG|thumb|Thunder Bay [[airport ramp]] side]]

'''Thunder Bay Airport''' {{airport codes|YQT|CYQT}} is in the city of [[Thunder Bay]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. With 108,130 aircraft movements in 2012, it was the fourth busiest airport in Ontario and the [[List of the busiest airports in Canada|16th busiest airport in Canada]].<ref name="move"/> During the same year, more than 761,000 passengers went through the airport.<ref name="pax2012"/>

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 with up to 40 passengers.<ref name="CFS"/>

The reference of "International" in the name of the Thunder Bay International Airport Authority Inc. (TBIAAI) is used for business purposes only. The TBIAAI has not sought to receive official Canadian designation as "International", in accordance with all applicable domestic and international requirements as defined by ICAO Annex 9.

== History ==

It was built as the '''Fort William Municipal Airport''' in 1938, partly as a means of relieving unemployment.<ref name="history">* Tronrud, Thorold J; Epp, Ernest A.; and others. (1995). ''[http://www.thunderbaymuseum.com/publications.htm Thunder Bay: From Rivalry to Unity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207031852/http://www.thunderbaymuseum.com/publications.htm |date=2012-02-07 }}''. [[Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society]], pp96. {{ISBN|0-920119-22-0}}.</ref>

During [[World War II]], the Thunder Bay (then Fort William) airport was home to No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School, part of the [[British Commonwealth Air Training Plan]]. The airport was also used as a base for test flights of fighter aircraft being built at the nearby [[Canadian Car and Foundry]] factory.

Before the two cities of Fort William and Port Arthur merged, it was called the '''Canadian Lakehead Airport'''.

The airport went under major renovations in 1994 with the construction of a new [[airport terminal]] building, including two jetways, a large food court, a gift shop and an arcade.

The airport was handed over from the government in 1997 to the Thunder Bay International Airports Authority, a non-profit organization. The airport handled over 600,000 passengers in 2006 for the first time since 2001.<ref name="AR">{{cite web|title=Error Occurred - Utopia Control Panel|url=http://www.tbairport.on.ca/Links/Annual_Report_2006_Final.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928082749/http://www.tbairport.on.ca/Links/Annual_Report_2006_Final.pdf|archive-date=September 28, 2007|access-date=29 March 2018|website=www.tbairport.on.ca}}</ref>

The airport underwent a runway rehabilitation and upgrade in 2022, this was "the largest construction project undertaken in the history of the Airport Authority"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thunder Bay International Airports Authority Inc. |date=31 December 2022 |title=2022 Annual Report |url=https://www.tbairport.on.ca/page/annual-reports |website=tbairport.on.ca}}</ref>

===Historical aerodrome information===
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as '''RCAF & D of T Aerodrome - Fort William, Ontario''' at {{coord|48|22|N|89|19|W|region:CA-ON}} with a variation of 01 degrees east and elevation of {{Convert|645|ft|abbr=on}}. Three runways were listed as follows:<ref name=Handbook>{{cite book |author=Staff writer|title= Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1|publisher= Royal Canadian Air Force |page= 112|date= c. 1942}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Runway name
! Length
! Width
! Surface
|-
| 14/32
| {{Convert|4000|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{Convert|500|ft|abbr=on}}
| Turf
|-
| 9/27
| {{Convert|3990|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{Convert|500|ft|abbr=on}}
| Turf
|-
| 4/22
| {{Convert|4000|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{Convert|500|ft|abbr=on}}
| Turf
|}

===Historical airline jet service===

A number of airlines served the airport with scheduled passenger jet service in the past from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. These air carriers along with the respective jetliner types they operated from the airfield are as follows:

* [[Air Canada]] (mainline service):<ref name="departedflights.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com|title= Official Airline Guide (OAG)|publisher= Feb. 15, 1985 edition, Toronto-Thunder Bay schedules}}</ref> [[Airbus A319]], [[Boeing 727-200]], [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]
* [[Air Ontario]]: [[Fokker F28]]
* [[Canadian Airlines International]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com|title= Official Airline Guide (OAG)|publisher= April 2, 1995 edition, Toronto-Thunder Bay schedules}}</ref> [[Boeing 737-200]]
* [[Canadian Regional Airlines]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com|title= Official Airline Guide (OAG)|publisher= June 1, 1999 edition, Toronto-Thunder Bay schedules}}</ref> [[Fokker F28]]
* [[CanJet]]:<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/|title=Airline Timetable Images|website=www.timetableimages.com}}</ref> [[Boeing 737-200]]
* [[Jetsgo]]:<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Summer 2003 Jetsgo timetable</ref> [[Fokker 100]], [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80]]
* [[Nordair]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com|title= Official Airline Guide (OAG)|publisher= Nov. 15, 1979 edition, Toronto-Thunder Bay schedules}}</ref> [[Boeing 737-200]]
* [[North Central Airlines]]:<ref name="timetableimages.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com|title= North Central Airlines system timetable|publisher= Oct. 29, 1967 edition}}</ref> [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]
* [[Pacific Western Airlines]]:<ref name="departedflights.com"/> [[Boeing 737-200]]
* [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)|Republic Airlines]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com|title= Official Airline Guide (OAG)|publisher= Nov. 15, 1979 edition, Duluth-Thunder Bay schedules}}</ref> [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]
* [[Transair (Canada)|Transair]]:<ref name="auto"/> [[Boeing 737-200]], [[Fokker F28]]
* [[Vistajet]]:<ref name="auto"/> [[Boeing 737-200]]

According to various [[Official Airline Guide]] (OAG) editions as well as airline timetables, the majority of jet service operated by Canadian-based air carriers was nonstop or direct to Toronto and Winnipeg. U.S.-based [[North Central Airlines]] operated nonstop flights to [[Duluth International Airport|Duluth]] with continuing no change of plane jet service to [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]] while successor [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)|Republic Airlines]] also flew nonstop to Duluth with continuing no change of plane jet service to [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport|Minneapolis/St. Paul]] and then on to Denver.<ref name="timetableimages.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com|title= Republic Airlines system timetable|publisher= July 1, 1979 edition}}</ref>

During the mid-1980s, three airlines were competing with nonstop service operated with mainline jet aircraft between Thunder Bay and Toronto:<ref name="departedflights.com"/> [[Air Canada]] with [[Boeing 727-200]] and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] aircraft, [[Nordair]] with [[Boeing 737-200]] aircraft and [[Pacific Western Airlines]] with [[Boeing 737-200]] aircraft.

[[United Express]] served [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport]] from Thunder Bay from February 2013 to April 2014 using the [[Bombardier CRJ100/200|Bombardier CRJ-200]]. This was the most recent flight offered from Thunder Bay to the United States.<ref>Vis, Matt, [https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/regular-american-flights-out-of-thunder-bay-not-imminent-852750 Regular American flights out of Thunder Bay not imminent], ''TB Newswatch'', March 6, 2018, retrieved 2024-10-30</ref>

==Airlines and destinations==

===Passenger===
<!-- Please use only independent sources. The airport and airlines themselves are not independent sources. -->
{{Unsourced section|date=June 2024}}
{{Airport-dest-list
| {{nowrap|[[Air Canada Express]]}} | [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]]
<!-- -->
| {{nowrap|[[Air Canada Rouge]]}} | '''Seasonal:''' [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]]
<!-- -->
| [[Bearskin Airlines]] | [[Sault Ste. Marie Airport|Sault Ste. Marie]], [[Sioux Lookout Airport|Sioux Lookout]], [[Sudbury Airport|Sudbury]]
<!-- -->
| [[Flair Airlines]] | '''Seasonal:''' [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]]
<!-- -->
| [[North Star Air]] | [[Fort Hope Airport|Fort Hope/Eabametoong]], [[Muskrat Dam Airport|Muskrat Dam]], [[Lansdowne House Airport|Neskantaga]], [[Ogoki Post Airport|Ogoki Post]], [[Sachigo Lake Airport|Sachigo Lake]], [[Sioux Lookout Airport|Sioux Lookout]], [[Round Lake (Weagamow Lake) Airport|Weagamow]], [[Webequie Airport|Webequie]]
<!-- -->
| [[Porter Airlines]] | [[Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport|Ottawa]], [[Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport|Toronto–Billy Bishop]],  [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Porter Adds Toronto Pearson – Thunder Bay Service From mid-Oct 2024 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240813-pdoct24yqt |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=13 August 2024}}</ref>
<!-- -->
| [[Sunwing Airlines]] | '''Seasonal:''' [[Cancún International Airport|Cancún]], [[Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport|Varadero]]
<!-- -->
| [[Superior Airways]] | '''Charter:''' [[Red Lake Airport|Red Lake]]
<!-- -->
| [[Wasaya Airways]] | [[Sioux Lookout Airport|Sioux Lookout]]
<!-- -->
| [[WestJet]] | '''Seasonal:''' [[Calgary International Airport|Calgary]]
<!-- -->
| [[WestJet Encore]] | [[Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport|Winnipeg]]
}}

On-demand charters include [[Air Bravo]] and [[Thunder Airlines]].

===Cargo===
{{Airport-dest-list
| [[Cargojet Airways]] | [[Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport|Winnipeg]]
| [[FedEx Feeder]] | [[Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport|Winnipeg]]
}}

{| class="collapsible uncollapsed" style="border:1px #aaa solid; width:50em; margin:0.2em auto"
|-
! Destinations map
|-	
|{{Location map+ | Ontario |width=1000 |float=left
|caption=Destinations from Thunder Bay Airport <br /> {{font color | red | Red}} = Year-round destination <br />{{font color | green | Green }} = Seasonal destination <br />{{font color | blue | Blue }} = Future destination
|places=	
{{Location map~ | Ontario |lat=48.3719|long=-89.3217|position=left|label='''<big>Thunder Bay</big>'''|caption=|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|marksize=15 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=43.6767|long=-79.6306|position=left|label='''<small>[[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto Pearson]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=10 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=43.6283|long=-79.3961|position=right|label='''<small>[[Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport|Toronto City]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=10 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=42.03|long=-92.44|position=right|label='''<small>[[Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport|Winnipeg]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=10 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=45.3225|long=-75.6672|position=right|label='''<small>[[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport|Ottawa]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=10 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Green pog.svg|lat=42.28|long=-94.02|position=right|label='''<small>[[Calgary International Airport|Calgary]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=46.4850|long=-84.5094|position=right|label='''<small>[[Sault Ste. Marie Airport|Sault Ste. Marie]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=46.6256|long=-80.7978|position=right|label='''<small>[[Sudbury Airport|Sudbury]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=50.1142|long=-91.9056|position=right|label='''<small>[[Sioux Lookout Airport|Sioux Lookout]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=10 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=51.0672|long=-93.7931|position=right|label='''<small>[[Red Lake Airport|Red Lake]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=51.5619|long=-87.9078|position=right|label='''<small>[[Fort Hope Airport|Eabametoong]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=53.4414|long=-91.7628|position=right|label='''<small>[[Muskrat Dam Airport|Muskrat Dam]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=56.0189|long=-87.6761|position=right|label='''<small>[[Fort Severn Airport|Fort Severn]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=53.8177|long=-89.8969|position=right|label='''<small>[[Big Trout Lake Airport|Big Trout Lake]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=51.2919|long=-80.6083|position=right|label='''<small>[[Moosonee Airport|Moosonee]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=52.1956|long=-87.9342|position=right|label='''<small>[[Lansdowne House Airport|Neskantaga]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=51.6586|long=-85.9011|position=right|label='''<small>[[Ogoki Post Airport|Marten Falls]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=53.8911|long=-92.1964|position=right|label='''<small>[[Sachigo Lake Airport|Sachigo Lake]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=52.9436|long=-91.3125|position=right|label='''<small>[[Round Lake (Weagamow Lake) Airport|Weagamow]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
{{Location map~ | Ontario |mark=Red pog.svg|lat=52.9594|long=-87.3752|position=right|label='''<small>[[Webequie Airport|Webequie]]</small>''' |label_size=100 |marksize=7 }}
}}
|}

==Statistics==
{{Airport-Statistics|iata=YQT}}
== Airside tenants ==
[[File:Thunder Bay Airport 2.JPG|thumb|Thunder Bay Airport interior]]

* [[Confederation College]] School of Aviation – [[Aviation Centre of Excellence]]
* [[Hydro One]] - aviation hangar
* Innotech Aviation - [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell Aviation]] FBO
* Levaero Aviation - authorized [[Pilatus Aircraft|Pilatus]] dealer
* Maintair Aviation Services - ground handling services<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.maintair.com/|title=Maintair Aviation Services Ltd|website=www.maintair.com}}</ref>
* [[Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry]] Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services - seasonal firefighting aircraft base 
* [[Ornge]] Air Ambulance - hangar and regional base
* Thunder Bay Flight Refuelling - [[World Fuel Services]] FBO
* Wisk Air Helicopters

== Groundside tenants ==

* [[Aramark]] - groundside food services and bar, aircraft catering)
* [[Avis Car Rental|Avis]]/[[Budget Rent a Car|Budget]]
* Driving Force
* [[Enterprise Rent-A-Car|Enterprise]]
* [[FedEx]]
* [[National Car Rental|National]]
* Passages Gift Shop - featuring local gifts and items
* Pine Tree Catering - Nomad Cafe (airside food services)

== Parking and transportation ==

Vehicles can reach the airport via [[Ontario Highway 61]] and connections with Harbour Expressway and [[Ontario Highway 11]] into Thunder Bay's core.

The parking lot contains 100 short-term spaces, 300 long-term spaces, curbside taxi service and courtesy cars.

[[Thunder Bay Transit]] bus route 14 Arthur serves the airport terminal and the nearby [[Aviation Centre of Excellence]]. On peak hours, this airport is served every 30 minutes, and 45 minutes outside peak hours. This route connects the airport to Arthur Street and City Hall Terminal.

== Infrastructure ==
The Thunder Bay International Airport has a three-storey terminal building. Since the closure of [[Sears Canada|Sears]] at [[Intercity Shopping Centre]] in 2018, this terminal is the only facility in Thunder Bay which uses [[Escalator|escalators]].

Thunder Bay's runways are primarily used by small or larger turboprop, similar to the [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8]] [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Q-Series, -400|Q Series (400)]], and regional jet aircraft such as the [[Bombardier CRJ700 series]], especially the [[Bombardier CRJ700 series#CRJ900|CRJ900]]; however, they are capable of accommodating narrow-body jetliners such as the [[Airbus A320 family]] operated by [[Air Canada|Air Canada Mainline]] and [[Air Canada Rouge]] and current generation [[Boeing 737]] aircraft operated by [[Flair Airlines]] and on charter or occasional services operated by [[Air Transat]], [[Sunwing Airlines]] and [[WestJet]]. Historically, the airport routinely handled [[Boeing 727-200]], [[Boeing 737-200]] and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] mainline jet aircraft as well as the smaller [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] twin jet in the past. Other larger jet aircraft types have also landed at the airport in the past with examples including a [[Boeing 720]] operated by [[American Airlines]] in 1962, [[Boeing 757-200]] and wide body [[Airbus A310]] aircraft operated by [[Royal Aviation]] subsidiary Royal Airlines in 1999 and 2000, and a wide body [[Boeing 747SP]] operated as the "Global Peace Ambassadors" aircraft for Christian preacher [[K.A. Paul]] in 2005.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} The largest aircraft to land in Thunder Bay is the [[Antonov An-124 Ruslan|Antonov AN-124]] which made four cargo trips direct from Austria between August 2017 and April 2018 with rail car parts for Bombardier.

The airport also has two fixed-base operators: Innotech Aviation Services for Shell Aviation, and Thunder Bay Flight Refuelling for World Fuel Services.

== Incidents and accidents ==
On 6 April 2009, Yavuz Berke, a 31-year-old Turkish-born Canadian student at the [[Aviation Centre of Excellence]] at Confederation College, stole its Cessna 172 at Thunder Bay airport and went for a joy ride. He crossed into US airspace where he was intercepted by two US Air Force F-16 fighter jets. He later landed on US Highway 60.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2009/11/04/canadian_jailed_2_years_for_stealing_plane.html|title=Canadian jailed 2 years for stealing plane|date=November 4, 2009|website=thestar.com}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of airports in the Thunder Bay area]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{commons category-inline|Thunder Bay International Airport}}
*{{Official website|https://www.tbairport.on.ca/}}
{{Can-arpt-wx|CYQT|Thunder Bay International Airport}}

{{Airports in Ontario}}
{{List of airports in Canada}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Certified airports in Ontario]]
[[Category:Transport in Thunder Bay|Airport]]
[[Category:National Airports System]]
[[Category:Royal Canadian Air Force stations]]
[[Category:Military airbases in Ontario]]
[[Category:Airports of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan]]
[[Category:Military history of Ontario]]