Charlottetown Airport

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Charlottetown Airport
IATA: YYG - ICAO: CYYG
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Charlottetown Airport Authority
Serves Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Elevation AMSL 160 ft (49 m)
Coordinates 46°17′24″N, 063°07′16″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03/21 7,000 2,134 Asphalt
10/28 5,000 1,524 Asphalt

For the airport in Newfoundland and Labrador see Charlottetown Airport

Charlottetown Airport, (IATA: YYG, ICAO: CYYG), is located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The airport is currently run by the Charlottetown Airport Authority. In 2004, it was the 36th busiest Canadian airport by aircraft movements (14,899 movements total).

Contents

[edit] History

The first aircraft to operate in the Charlottetown area was one that landed at the exhibition grounds east of the city's central business district in 1912; it was not until 1931 that a permanent airfield was built. The first facility was known as Upton Field (later Upton Airport) and consisted of two turf runways 2800 ft. and 1600 ft. respectively, opening on January 16, 1932. Upton was a farming community located in the western part of Queens Royalty, northwest of the city proper. The airfield was leased to Canadian Airways Limited from October 9, 1932 to October 9, 1938, although the airfield was only licensed until June 30, 1938. Throughout this time, Upton Airport received the first air mail service in Canada. Today the site is occupied by a small subdivision.

In June 1938 the city government asked the Department of Transport to assist in the development of an expanded municipal airport. Upton Airport was considered a candidate, as was a 300 acre property east of Sherwood Station on the Brackley Point Road. Upton Airport was rejected due to lack of space and the Sherwood Station property in the central part of Charlottetown Royalty was purchased by the city government for $30,000. The provincial government contributed 50% to the development of the new airport in exchange for 50% of its profits while the city would operate it.

[edit] RAF Station Charlottetown

The city government offered free use of the new airport to the federal government in December 1939 for military use until the conclusion of the Second World War. The offer was accepted and on May 1, 1940 the Department of National Defence announced the establishment of No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). Local fishermen protested the school and plans were cancelled in 1941. No. 5 B&GS was ultimately located at RCAF Station Dafoe in Saskatchewan.

The airfield underwent significant expansion with the main access point being changed to Norwood/Union Road. Three paved runways were constructed in the classic BCATP "triangle" configuration, along with various buildings and support facilities. Whereas the Royal Canadian Air Force was operating its base at RCAF Station Summerside and a sub-base at RCAF Station Mount Pleasant, the Charlottetown airfield was to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Construction was completed and the RAF took over the facility on June 15, 1941, naming it RAF Station Charlottetown. The school located here was No. 31 General Reconnaissance School (GRS), which flew Avro Ansons. The RAF's No. 32 Air Navigation School was also located here until merged with the RCAF's No. 2 Air Navigation School in 1944. Like all RAF training facilities in Canada at the time, RAF Station Charlottetown was subject to Royal Canadian Air Force operational and administrative control. RAF stations in Canada during the war were extensions of the British Commonwealth Training Plan until they were officially incorporated into the Plan in 1942.

[edit] RCAF Station Charlottetown

No. 31 GRS ceased operation in February 1944 and the RCAF's No. 2 Air Navigation School (ANS) began operation. No. 2 ANS ceased operation in July 1945. No. 1 Aircraft Holding Unit (AHU) used the aerodrome for a short period until it closed later in 1945. All military activities were transferred to RCAF Station Summerside.

Over 1200 students from Commonwealth nations had graduated from the facility. Approximately 200-300 RCAF and RAF personnel had been stationed at the training base and it employed 100 civilian workers during peak training operations.

Along with RCAF Station Summerside, the Charlottetown base also supported various patrol operations by the RCAF's Eastern Command, including coastal patrol aircraft dedicated to hunting German U-boats which were operating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence River during the 1942-1944 period. U-boats sank dozens of cargo and warships during the Battle of the St. Lawrence.

Following the base's decommissioning, the Department of Transport took over the Charlottetown Airport from the RCAF on February 1, 1946. Several expansions were undertaken, including an enlarged civilian air terminal off the Brackley Point Road on the west side of the airfield, as well as a lengthening and realigning of what would become runway 03/21 during the 1960s-1970s to accommodate jet aircraft. A major expansion during the 1980s saw the old terminal become a general aviation facility after a new terminal, control tower and emergency services building were constructed further to the north from a continuation of the Sherwood Road. This also saw runway 03/21 lengthened to its current configuration.

On February 28, 1999 the Department of Transport transferred operational and financial responsibility for the Charlottetown Airport to the Charlottetown Airport Authority Inc. under a 60-year lease arrangement; the federal government through DOT remains the owner of the property.

The airport is currently starting work on a new customs hall, to help process passengers from international flights and help market the airport for new flights. The hall is slated to be complete for the first Sunwing Airlines flight from Punta Cana in March 2007.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Runways

Charlottetown Airport has 2 runways, 03-21 (ILS equipped) and 10-28 which are 7000 and 5000 feet (2100 and 1500 m) long respectively.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Airports in Canada
Airports in the National Airports System:
| Calgary | Charlottetown | Edmonton | Fredericton | Gander | Halifax | Iqaluit | Kelowna | London | Moncton | Montréal-Mirabel | Montréal-Trudeau | Ottawa | Prince George | Québec | Regina | Saint John | St. John's | Saskatoon | Thunder Bay | Toronto | Vancouver | Victoria | Whitehorse | Winnipeg | Yellowknife |
Regional/Local Airports
| Alberta | British Columbia | Manitoba | New Brunswick | Newfoundland and Labrador | Northwest Territories |
| Nova Scotia | Nunavut | Ontario | Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Yukon |
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