Lethbridge Airport , previously Lethbridge County Airport, is located south southeast of

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. It is 10–15 driving minutes from downtown and has scheduled service to the city of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Alberta. The airport is classified as an

airport of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internatio ...

Nav Canada Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act' ...

and is staffed by the

Canada Border Services Agency The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; french: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and cu ...

(CBSA) on a call-out basis from the Sweetgrass-Coutts Border Crossing. CBSA officers at this airport can handle

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers. The airport hosts the biennial Lethbridge International Airshow.

History

Originally known as Kenyon Field, this aerodrome began passenger services in October 1938, but officially opened in June 1939. Prior to this, the city operated aviation activities in areas now occupied by Exhibition Park and

Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) is a public high school in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, operated by Lethbridge School District No. 51 that serves grades nine through twelve. LCI was the first school in Lethbridge designated only for seconda ...

. From 1939 to 1948, Lethbridge operated as western Canada's primary airline hub. According to the

Trans-Canada Air Lines Trans-Canada Air Lines (also known as TCA in English, and Trans-Canada in French) was a Canadian airline that operated as the country's flag carrier, with corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. Its first president was Gordon Roy McGrego ...

(TCA) system timetable dated January 1, 1940, Lethbridge was a stop on Trans-Canada's transcontinental flights linking

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Regina and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

with connecting service to and from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

via North Bay (which was one of the stops on the TCA transcontinental flights between Montreal and Vancouver) operated with Lockheed piston engine twin prop aircraft. This same timetable also lists connecting TCA service between Lethbridge and Calgary and Edmonton. U.S. air carrier

Western Air Lines Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and ...

served Lethbridge at this time as well with flights to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

with connecting service to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Western operated

Boeing 247D The Boeing Model 247 is an early United States airliner, and one of the first such aircraft to incorporate advances such as all-metal (anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing, and retractable landing gear.

twin prop aircraft with a routing of Lethbridge-Cut Bank-Great Falls-Helena-Butte-Idaho Falls-Pocatello-Salt Lake City. According to the route map in the above referenced timetable, Lethbridge was the only international destination served by Western at this time.

RCAF and D of T Aerodrome Lethbridge c.1942

In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a Var. 22 degrees E and elevation of . Four runways were listed as follows:

RCAF Station Lethbridge

At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Kenyon Field became a training facility under the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...

(BCATP). The station was operated and administered by the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

(RCAF) and called RCAF Station Lethbridge. Beginning in July 1940, the aerodrome hosted No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). Instruction was provided by members of the local flying club. Since the airport often experienced significant wind, the flying school moved to less windy

High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community take ...

in June 1941. Late in 1941, the No. 8 Bombing and Gunnery School, also a BCATP training facility, opened at the station. Since land was required for gunnery and bombing practice, about was leased from the

Blood Indian Reserve Blood 148 is a First Nations reserve in Alberta, Canada. It is inhabited by the Blood ( Kainai) First Nation and was established under the provisions of Treaty 7. This reserve is managed from the community of Stand Off on its northwest border an ...

located nearby. Aircraft used by this school included

Fairey Battle The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hi ...

Lysander Lysander (; grc-gre, Λύσανδρος ; died 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an en ...

s, Ansons, and Bolingbrokes. No. 133 (Fighter) Squadron was formed here in June 1942, flying

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

and Harvards. The squadron moved to

Boundary Bay Airport Boundary Bay Airport or Vancouver/Boundary Bay Airport is located beside Boundary Bay and east of Ladner in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, south southeast of Vancouver and close to the Point Roberts-Boundary Bay border crossing. The airpo ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in October 1942. The RCAF left Lethbridge in 1944.

Post-war

In 1947, the RCAF's mess hall was converted by the Department of Transportation (now

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...

) into an air terminal building, which was replaced by the current facility in 1979. By 1962, passenger flights operated by

had become more regional in nature. According to Trans-Canada's system timetable dated April 29, 1962, the airline was operating

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. The Visc ...

turboprop service on a routing of Lethbridge-Calgary-Edmonton and was also flying

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

service with a routing of Lethbridge-Medicine Hat-Swift Current-Regina-Yorkton-Brandon-Winnipeg. Trans Canada would become

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and ...

which in turn continued to operate Vickers Viscount turboprop service on the Lethbridge-Calgary-Edmonton route before ceasing all scheduled passenger service to Lethbridge during the early 1970s.

Time Air Time Air was an airline in Canada founded in 1966 by businessman Walter “Stubb” Ross from Lethbridge in Alberta. It was called Lethbridge Air Service before becoming Time Airways Ltd. which was then shortened to Time Air Ltd. In 1993 it ...

was a regional airline that initiated operations in Lethbridge. Founded in 1966 as Lethbridge Air Service, Time Air flew a variety of turboprop aircraft and also operated jet service as well with

Fokker F28 Fellowship The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. Following the Fokker F27 Friendship, an early and commercially successful turboprop-powered regional airliner, Fokker ...

twin jets. In February 1976, the

Official Airline Guide OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, flight sta ...

(OAG) listed up to eight round trip flights a day operated by Time Air nonstop between Lethbridge and Calgary with

Fokker F27 Friendship The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...

and

de Havilland Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...

turboprops. According to the November 15, 1979 edition of the OAG, Time Air was operating up to ten flights a day nonstop to Calgary with DHC-6 Twin Otter and Short 330 turboprop aircraft. By April 1985, the airline was operating larger Dash 7 turboprops on the Lethbridge-Calgary route in addition to the Short 330 aircraft with up to nine flights a day. In 1995, Time Air was flying the Fokker F28 twin jet on a daily basis between Calgary and Lethbridge in addition to other flights operated on the route with

Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

turboprops. This appears to have been one of the few times that Lethbridge had scheduled passenger jet service. Time Air was also flying at this time as a Canadian Partner air carrier as part of a code sharing agreement with

Canadian Airlines International Canadian Airlines International Ltd. (stylized as Canadi›n Airlines or Canadi‹n Airlines, or simply Canadian) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carr ...

(formerly

CP Air Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian a ...

). There was also competition on the Lethbridge-Calgary route at this time as

Air BC Air BC was a Canadian regional airline headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It later became part of Air Canada Jazz. This regional airline primarily flew turboprop aircraft but also operated jets as well as an Air Canada Connecto ...

was operating Dash 8 turboprops as an Air Canada Connector air carrier via a code sharing agreement with

. Air BC also operated

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...

BAe Jetstream 31 The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin- turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the Britis ...

between Lethbridge and Calgary at one point. Time Air operated other flights as well from Lethbridge including direct service to

via an intermediate stop in either

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki� ...

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

, British Columbia during the 1980s and also nonstop service in 1988 to

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

. In 1993, Time Air and

Ontario Express Ontario Express was an airline in Canada. Code data * IATA Code: 9X * ICAO Code: OEL *Callsign: PARTNER History Ontario Express first started operations on July 15, 1987 as a regional feeder airline for Canadian Airlines based at the Toronto ...

began operating as

Canadian Regional Airlines Canadian Regional Airlines was an airline headquartered in Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is now part of Air Canada Jazz. Former code data *IATA code: KI *ICAO code: CDR *Callsign: Canadian Regional History ...

on behalf of

which then eventually acquired Time Air and merged the airline with Ontario Express. By 1999, Time Air was operating Dash 8 turboprops as well as

Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

on its flights to Calgary as Canadian Regional while

Alberta Citylink Alberta Citylink was an airline based in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. It operated domestic passenger service for Air Canada as an Air Canada Connector air carrier via a code sharing agreement. Its main base was Medicine Hat Airport, with a hub ...

was flying BAe Jetstream 31 turboprops on its services to Calgary as Air Canada Connector.

Lethbridge County Lethbridge County is a municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada. It is in Census Division No. 2 and part of the Lethbridge census agglomeration. It was known as the ''County of Lethbridge'' prior to December 4, 2013. Its name was change ...

assumed ownership of the airport on January 1, 1997, and it was renamed Lethbridge County Airport. On July 26, 2009, the Evergreen Supertanker successfully landed and took off from runway 05 as part of the 2009 airshow, marking the first time a

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, to ...

has used the airpor

On August 1, 2013, the County of Lethbridge approved renaming the airport to Lethbridge Airport. On March 16, 2018, Lethbridge County along with the City of Lethbridge agreed to transfer the airport to the city, which was finalized on July 1, 2018. Air Canada ended its service from Calgary to Lethbridge on April 1, 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Airlines and destinations

Services

The airport is a

Canadian Air Transport Security Authority The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA; french: Administration canadienne de la sûreté du transport aérien) is the Canadian Crown Corporation responsible for security screening of people and baggage and the administration of ide ...

(CATSA) Designated Aerodrome, thus providing full passenger screening. It also serves as a regional airport, offering a number of on-site charter, maintenance, flight training and specialty aviation services. There are roughly 40 aircraft based at the airport, including

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

, corporate,

recreational Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure ...

flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

, aerial spray and

rotary-wing A rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotary wings or rotor blades, which generate lift by rotating around a vertical mast. Several rotor blades mounted on a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The Internati ...

. Between 50 and 60 percent of typical annual aircraft movements are flight training and scheduled air carrier services. In 2003, aircraft movements for the year were roughly 30,000 and passenger movements were roughly 55,000. Aircraft services are available through Airwest Flight Support (Executive Flight Center) and Southern Aero Aviation (World Fuel Service). Both offer Avgas 100LL, Jet A1 FSII, GPU, de-icing, a pilot lounge, hangarage, and tie downs. Airwest also provides inspections, repairs, and aircraft sales, and Southern Aero also provides courtesy vehicles, and sleeping quarters. Respectively, frequencies are 130.75 and 123.4, and they are found at aprons 2 and 3.

Incidents

On February 7, 2009, a

Cessna 150 crash-landed in a field at the airport. The pilot was landing when a gust of wind apparently overtook the aircraft. The pilot escaped uninjured, however the plane sustained major damage. The crash was investigated by

and the Transportation Safety Board. On July 23, 2010, a Royal Canadian Air Force

McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...

crashed during a practice run for the upcoming Alberta International Airshow. The pilot ejected from the aircraft less than two seconds before it struck the ground nose first, exploding into a fireball. Captain Brian Bews survived with three compressed vertebrae.

References

External links

Integra Air

Airwest Flight Support (Executive Flight Center)Southern Aero Aviation (Lethbridge Esso)Place to Fly
on COPA's ''Places to Fly'' airport directory {{authority control Certified airports in Alberta Airports of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Lethbridge County Royal Canadian Air Force stations Transport in Lethbridge