Region of Waterloo International Airport or Kitchener/Waterloo Airport is an international airport serving the

Regional Municipality of Waterloo The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumf ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada, west of

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 anch ...

. It has year round daily flights to

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

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 ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

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, ...

, Calgary,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, Halifax,

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and Kelowna through

Flair Airlines Flair Airlines is a Canadian ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. The airline operates scheduled passenger and chartered services with a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. The company slogan is ''Plane and Simple.'' The a ...

and

WestJet WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, near Calgary International Airport. It is the second-largest Canadian airline, behind Air Canada, operating an average of 777 flights and carrying more than 66,130 ...

. It also has seasonal flights to Cancun through

Sunwing Airlines Sunwing Airlines Inc. is a Canadian low-cost airline headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Sunwing Airlines offers scheduled and charter services from Canada and the United States to destinations within the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, ...

and

. 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. Internat ...

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 (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport can handle any

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 up to 180 people with two hours prior notice. The terminal building has an international/domestic lounge. There are two separate

baggage carousel A baggage carousel is a device, generally at an airport, that delivers checked luggage to the passengers at the baggage reclaim area at their final destination. Not all airports use these devices. Airports without carousels generally deliver bag ...

, one for domestic and the other international. There are four gates (one international, one domestic arrivals, two domestic departures) at this terminal to handle scheduled flights. There is a licensed sit-down eating area and a vending area for people travelling through the airport.

History

The airport was previously named Waterloo Regional Airport, but it changed its name in March 2004 after

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...

announced that it would run daily flights to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. Construction began on the Kitchener-Waterloo Municipal Airport, also known as Lexington Airport, in 1929 on the Heinrich farm on Lexington Road in Waterloo. The towns of Kitchener and Waterloo and the Ontario Equitable Life and Accident Insurance Company acquired the lands to build a land and water airport facility. Completed in 1930, the airfield was mainly used for flying instruction. The airport had two grass runways ( and ) on on the southeast side of Lexington Road. Gilles Air Service began to operate from the airfield from 1930 to 1932 and was succeeded by Kitchener-Waterloo Flying Club from 1932 to 1951. During

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 opposing ...

civilian aviation ceased at the airfield and it was used by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. At the end of the War, there was a push for a larger and more appropriate place for private and commercial aviation in the area. In 1948, the Waterloo-Wellington Airport Commission acquired a larger site in the Breslau, Ontario, area and a new airfield was completed there in 1950. The original airport was sold in 1951 to A.B. Caya and re-developed into a mixed residential and commercial area. The entrance to the former airport is now Lexington Park at 291 Lexington Road. The new K-W Municipal Airport became a

facility in 1969. From 1951 to 1973, the Waterloo-Wellington Flying Club ran the airport and then sold it to

Waterloo Region The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfr ...

and the City of Guelph. It became a publicly owned airport and was renamed Waterloo Regional Airport. Today it operates 24 hours, seven days a week. The airport's former name, Waterloo Regional Airport, is now used by Waterloo Regional Airport in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...

In November 2020, Waterloo was the busiest airport in Canada, owing to the continued operation of its flight-training businesses while much of Canadian aviation was shut down by the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in ...

Lexington Airport then and now

Using an aerial photograph A10055-8 1946 from the Geospatial Library at the University of Waterloo, it seems that the airport had two runways, crossing each other approximately in their middles. Runway 11/29 was . Runway 01/19 was . The threshold of 01 is in the parking lot of Sandowne Public School, the threshold of 19 is in the properties on Kane Drive, the threshold of 11 is on Bairstow Crescent and the threshold of 29 is in the properties on Dunvegan Drive opposite a playground. The current Lexington Park is between the thresholds of 11 and 19. The baseball diamond and soccer pitch at Lexington Park, 291 Lexington Road in Waterloo, are the site of the original hangar built in 1930. The airfield extended along the southeast side of Lexington Road to University Avenue. A historical plaque near the entrance of Lexington Park describes the runways.

Expansion

In 2013, Waterloo was the 16th busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements, and underwent a major expansion in 2003. Starting in 2008, the airport started expanding again to accommodate larger aircraft on the aprons and taxiways; this includes widening the main apron 3, expanding apron 2 into apron 3, new widened taxiway alpha and Charlie taxiway off apron 2 to runway 08, and approach lighting on runway 26. In 2010, Taxiway Charlie was widened to prepare for a new development area called "LL4." A new General Manager recruited from the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Chris Wood, was appointed in September 2009.

affiliate

Mesaba Airlines Mesaba Aviation, Inc. (operating as Mesaba Airlines) was an American regional airline based in Eagan, Minnesota From 2010 to 2012 the airline was a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corporation with code sharing flights operated as De ...

flew to

until June 2009. In late 2005, major vacation charters (primarily to the Caribbean) began to operate during their peak season, notably

to Cancun.

launched daily flights to Calgary on 14 May 2007. This was initially labelled a seasonal service, but on 27 June 2007, WestJet announced that the flights continue year-round. WestJet also operated daily seasonal flights to

in the summer of 2010, but these did not continue in subsequent years. Bearskin Airlines started daily non-stop flights to Ottawa on 1 October 2007, with onward connections to Northern Ontario, and added daily flights to Montreal beginning on 1 May 2011. The Montreal flights ended in September 2012, and on 25 March 2014, Bearskin announced that they would terminate all scheduled service from the airport effective 1 April 2014. They continued to operate charter flights at the airport. On 13 December 2011,

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

announced new daily nonstop flights to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

beginning on 14 June 2012, the airport's first destination in the United States since 2009. The service was operated by

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under the

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brand, using Embraer 145 jets. On 22 June 2016, American Airlines announced they would be suspending flights effective 5 October 2016. In September 2013,

Nolinor Aviation Les Investissements Nolinor Inc., trading as Nolinor Aviation, is a charter airline based in Mirabel, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It operates passenger charter and cargo services within Canada and to the U.S. Its main base is Montré ...

began three weekly and four every other week charter service from the airport to Mary River via Iqaluit with a

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

combi. This service was expected to bring $400,000 annually to the airport through landing and ramp fees with no additional costs to the region. A new

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

tower commenced operations on 27 September 2017, replacing the original tower built in 1969. This tower is an additional 16 feet taller (80 feet) and 85 square feet bigger than the previous tower. FlyGTA Airlines began flying twice daily between Waterloo and

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as ''Port George VI Island Airport'' and ''Toronto ...

on 6 November 2017. Low-cost carrier

announced in February 2022 that they will begin serving thirteen domestic and international destinations in summer 2022. In April 2021, Waterloo Regional Council approved $44 million to further the expansion of the airport. As part of this expansion, the airport will get increased baggage handling capacity and larger departure lounges. Waterloo Airport Terminal

Airlines and destinations

Source:

Tenants

* Aerotech Aviation – private aircraft maintenance * Flightpath Charter Airways – charter and cargo operator * AirSprint – private business jet operator * Private Air – private business jet operator *

– air traffic control services * Executive Aviation – ground handler for Westjet Airlines & Sunwing Airlines * Flite Line Services –

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, ...

, fuel, ground handling * Kitchener Aero Avionics – manufacturer and maintenance of avionics equipment * Rotor Services – helicopter maintenance, R22/R44 overhaul, leasing, pre-purchase inspections and flight training * Tri-City Aero – maintenance and repair of small private aircraft * Reliable Horse Power – custom aircraft engine overhauls and repairs * Summit Fuel Services * Chartright Air Group *

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* Hertz car rental * Runways Café at WWFC – licensed restaurant * Aviator Cafe (by Edelweiss) – licensed food concession in terminal boarding (departure) lounge & arrivals lounge * Canada Border Services Agency * Royal Canadian Air Cadet Youth Development Centre, 822 Tutor Squadron – air cadets * Gyro Craft Aviation – gyroplane sales and rental

Flight training schools

* Adler Aviation – training centre for small propeller aircraft * Great Lakes Helicopter – small and medium utility helicopter training * Gyro Ontario – Ontario's only gyroplane flight training facility, working out of Great Lakes Helicopter training facility * Waterloo-Wellington Flight Centre (with links to Conestoga College and

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...

)

Maintenance and emergency services

The airport has service vehicles, including a dedicated snow plow, as well as their own fire suppression and rescue unit (two Oshkosh Striker 1500).

Ground transportation

Local taxis, limousines and chartered buses provide ground transportation to and from the airport. Private cars park at three parking lots located at the airport. Parking pay stations are located at the main lot and in the terminal concourse area. The main road to access the airport is Regional Road 17 or Fountain Street North. Fountain intersects with Highway 7 to the north (access to Waterloo and Guelph) or with Highway 401 to the south (access to London and Toronto). Connections to Kitchener became easier in 2013 with the extension of Fairway Road across the Grand River to Fountain Street. On July 11, 2022, Grand River Transit, the public transit operator in the area, began operating a flexible bus route in Breslau, including the airport. It operates as an on-demand bus service operating weekdays between 6am and 10am, 2pm and 6pm, and 10:45pm and 11:45pm. The bus route offers connection to Route 204 iXpress Victoria and Route 34 Bingemans at Victoria Street and Lackner Boulevard.

Incidents and accidents

* On November 25, 2022,

Flight 501, a

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...

from Vancouver to Kitchener/Waterloo carrying 134 passengers and 6 crew, overran runway 26 while landing. There were no injuries.

References

External links

Region of Waterloo International Airport official website
{{authority control

Transport in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Airports established in 1930 1930 establishments in Ontario