To strengthen financial sustainability, enhance regional connectivity, and support long-term success, the City of Lethbridge continues to advance its roadmap for the YQL Lethbridge Airport.
According to the City, the roadmap is guided by two key goals — stabilize the airport reserve, while growing aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue and maintain airport viability by exploring pathways to enhance connectivity and better meet the needs of residents and businesses.
Regional airports across Canada are facing rising airline operating costs, fluctuating fuel prices, and ongoing labour and maintenance pressures. Airlines are consolidating routes and prioritizing larger hubs.
In Lethbridge, the City is advancing its passenger air service roadmap through ongoing, targeted engagement with prospective carriers.
“Regional aviation is a challenging environment right now, but we’re taking a proactive and strategic approach to ensure YQL remains competitive and positioned for future opportunities,” said Airport Manager Cameron Prince. “At the same time, it’s important to recognize the airport continues to be a busy and essential part of our community and region, supporting a wide-range of services beyond scheduled passenger travel.”
YQL remains open and active, with approximately 98 per cent of activity occurring outside of scheduled passenger flights.
Last year, the airport averaged 100 daily flights, including charter and private aviation, cargo, medevac services, RCMP operations, flight training, and aviation tied to agriculture and resource development.
The City is also working to expand non-passenger air service and land development opportunities. A business development plan and market study is underway to identify new revenue streams and secure more financial sustainability.
Prince noted the City is in talks with airlines on a consistent basis. “We’re optimistic there will be something in the future. We’re just not sure what the timeline will be for that, because airline network planning does take a lot of time. We want to get passenger service back.”
On the non-passenger service side, Prince added the City is trying to attract more businesses with corporate charters and hangar needs.
The City owns the airport lands, Prince explained. “The way airports generally tend to work is they hold onto that land, and they lease that out to businesses. That’s how you can use those revenues to offset the cost of maintaining the airport.”
Right now, there is some interest, but the City is dealing with an issue related to underground infrastructure.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on servicing as far as utilities and water, wastewater — that sort of thing. We’re looking at businesses and opportunities that we can fill in the interim. Essentially, low utility needs such as hangers and warehousing,” Prince said.
WestJet accounted for roughly two per cent of the total movements that happen out of the airport, Prince pointed out. “Last year, on average we were seeing roughly 100 movements a day, so that’s flight training, charters, medevacs, agriculture like crop dusting, and things like that. That’s happening all the time out there. On peak days, we’re seeing over 200 movements a day.”
“It’s quite busy outside of scheduled passenger traffic. We want to continue to support that and those businesses,” Prince said.
Prince noted the airport terminal continues to be critical for passenger service, but not so much for general aviation. “The Nav Canada flight service station is based out of the terminal, so there will be a general need to have it there, but we will be reducing things like janitorial services, reducing power and gas usage to try and reduce the operating cost of that infrastructure.”
A portion of the airport is funded through revenue generated by landing fees and leases.
“There’s a portion of the airport that is tax-supported. The goal right now is to reduce the amount that the airport is tax-supported. Our two main goals for the airport are to stabilize the revenue source and reduce the amount that tax is required to support it,” added Prince.
