Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Aéroport international James Armstrong Richardson de Winnipeg
Arrivals hall at Winnipeg International Airport
IATA: YWG – ICAO: CYWG – WMO: 71852
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Transport Canada[1]
Operator	Winnipeg Airports Authority (DND)
Serves	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Hub for	Calm Air Cargojet Perimeter Aviation Canada Jetlines (After it establishes it's hub in Vancouver and also receives it's Air Operator Certificate. Will need to fund before starting flights) NewLeaf (HQ and Hub)
Time zone	CST (UTC−06:00)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC−05:00)
Elevation AMSL	783 ft / 239 m
Coordinates	49°54′36″N 097°14′24″W / 49.91000°N 97.24000°WCoordinates: 49°54′36″N 097°14′24″W / 49.91000°N 97.24000°W
Website	www.waa.ca
Map
CYWG Location in Manitoba
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 13/31 8,701 2,652 Asphalt 18/36 11,000 3,353 Asphalt
Statistics (2014/2015)
Aircraft movements (2014) 123,778 Number of Passengers (2015) 3,778,035
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[2] Environment Canada[3] Movements from Statistics Canada[4] Passenger statistics from Winnipeg Airports Authority[5]

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (commonly known as Winnipeg International Airport or simply Winnipeg Airport) (IATA: YWG, ICAO: CYWG) is an international airport located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the seventh busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, serving 3.7 million passengers in 2014,^[5] and the 11th busiest airport by aircraft movements.^[4] It is a hub for passenger airlines Calm Air and Perimeter Airlines, and cargo airline Cargojet. It is also a focus city for WestJet. The airport is co-located with Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg.

An important transportation hub for the province of Manitoba, Winnipeg International Airport is the only commercial international airport within the province as the other airports of entry serve domestic flights and general aviation only.^[2] The airport is operated by the Winnipeg Airport Authority as part of Transport Canada's National Airports System^[6] and is one of eight Canadian airports that has US Border Pre-clearance facilities.

Winnipeg's relatively isolated geographical location in relation to other major population centres^[7] makes Winnipeg International Airport the primary airport for a very large area. As such, it is used as a gateway to the entire Province of Manitoba and large parts of neighbouring Provinces and Territories.^[8] Daily non-stop flights are operated from Winnipeg International Airport to destinations across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean, along with summer seasonal flights to the United Kingdom. In addition, regularly scheduled flights to numerous small remote communities in the northern regions of Canada, specifically Northern Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and Nunavut, are also served from the airport.^[9]

History

Airline check-in counters at Winnipeg International Airport

The airport opened in 1928 as Stevenson Aerodrome in honour of the noted Manitoba aviator and pioneer bush pilot, Captain Fred J. Stevenson. Stevenson Aerodrome, also known as Stevenson Field, was Canada's first international airport. In 1958, at the request of the Canadian Department of Transport, Stevenson Field was officially renamed Winnipeg International Airport.

The original main terminal building was built in 1964, and was designed by the architectural firm of Green Blankstein Russell and Associates (subsequently GBR Associates and Stantec Limited). It was expanded and renovated in 1984 by the architectural firm of IKOY, and a hotel was built across from the terminal in 1998. The original main terminal building was closed on Sunday October 30, 2011 and has since been demolished.

On December 10, 2006, the Minister of Transport, Lawrence Cannon, announced Winnipeg International Airport was to be renamed Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in honour of the influential businessman and pioneer of Canadian commercial aviation from Winnipeg.^[10]

Terminals

Domestic/International departure gate area in the Main Terminal

USA departure gates in the Main Terminal

Main Terminal

Winnipeg's main airport terminal was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Stantec.^[11] The terminal's design was inspired by the City of Winnipeg's distinctive landscape and the province of Manitoba's vast prairies and sky.^[12] It was the first airport terminal in Canada to be LEED-certified for its environmentally friendly concept, design, construction and operation.^[13] The terminal was constructed in two phases, with construction beginning in 2007 and ending on October 30, 2011 when it was officially opened to the public.^[14][15] Prior to the opening of the current main terminal building, a multi-level access road and four-level, 1,559 stall parkade were both opened in November 2006. All airlines serving Winnipeg International Airport operate at the main terminal building, with the exception of Perimeter Aviation.

Free WiFi is provided by the Winnipeg Airports Authority throughout the entire main terminal building. Air Canada operates a Maple Leaf Lounge located in the domestic/international departures area. A new Plaza Premium Lounge opened in September 2015 in the domestic/international departures area.

Perimeter Terminal

Perimeter Aviation is a regional airline that operates its own small, exclusive terminal building at Winnipeg International Airport to facilitate its passenger, cargo and charter services. Perimeter Aviation does not use the main terminal building due to its varied operations to small remote communities throughout Northern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario using small propeller aircraft, with which regular airport terminal services (jet bridge, catering, etc.) are unnecessary and can actually be a hindrance to day-to-day operations.

The Perimeter Aviation terminal building is located 2.6 km south of the main terminal building.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Air Canada Airbus A319 on the tarmac

First Air Boeing 737-200C taxiing

Perimeter Aviation Bombardier Dash 8-100 taxiing

Bearskin Airlines Saab 340 preparing for departure

Airlines	Destinations	Terminal
Air Canada	Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: Cancún, Montego Bay	Main
Air Canada Express	Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal–Trudeau, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Vancouver	Main
Bearskin Airlines	Red Lake	Main
Air Transat	Seasonal: Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Santa Clara, Varadero	Main
Calm Air	Churchill, Flin Flon, Gillam, Rankin Inlet, Sanikiluaq, The Pas, Thompson	Main
Delta Air Lines	Minneapolis/St. Paul	Main
Delta Connection	Minneapolis/St. Paul	Main
First Air	Churchill, Rankin Inlet	Main
Perimeter Aviation	Berens River, Cross Lake, Garden Hill, Gods Lake Narrows, Gods River, Norway House, Oxford House, Pikangikum, Red Sucker Lake, St. Theresa Point, Wasagamack, Shamattawa, Thompson	Perimeter Terminal
Sunwing Airlines	Seasonal: Cancún, Cayo Coco/Cayo Guillermo, Santa Clara, Fort Lauderdale, Freeport, Holguín, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mazatlán, Montego Bay, Orlando–International, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, San Jose del Cabo, Varadero	Main
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver	Main
WestJet	Calgary, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Montréal–Trudeau, Ottawa, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: Cancún, Fort Lauderdale, Halifax (begins July 2, 2016),[16] London–Gatwick, London (ON), Montego Bay, Orlando–International, Palm Springs, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo	Main
WestJet Encore	Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay	Main

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Cargojet Airways	Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Iqaluit, Montréal-Mirabel, Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Vancouver
FedEx Express	Columbus-Rickenbacker, Memphis
FedEx Express operated by Morningstar Air Express	Calgary, Edmonton, Thunder Bay, Toronto–Pearson
KF Cargo	Vancouver
SkyLink Express	Regina, Saskatoon
Suburban Air Freight	Minneapolis/St. Paul
UPS Airlines	Minneapolis/St. Paul, Omaha

Ground transportation

Winnipeg International Airport is located at 2000 Wellington Avenue in the City of Winnipeg. Several short and long term parkades are located on site, as well as a curb-side valet parking service.

Winnipeg Transit operates two bus routes that service the airport.

The Winnipeg Bus Terminal is an intercity bus and cargo terminal for Greyhound and other intercity bus lines. It is located beside the main terminal building.
The Brandon Air Shuttle provides shuttle transportation between Winnipeg International Airport and Manitoba's second largest city, Brandon.

Other Facilities

Domestic/International departure gates at Winnipeg airport terminal

A large Canada Post mail processing facility was opened at the airport site on June 4, 2010.^[17] The 23,225 square meter facility is located east of the main terminal building, just north of Wellington Avenue.

Three hotels are located on site, adjacent to the main airport terminal.

Richardson International Airport is included in a new 20,000-acre (81 km²) dry port created by provincial legislation – CentrePort Canada Act, C.C.S.M. c. C44 – that will offer investment opportunities for distribution centres, warehousing and manufacturing.^[18] CentrePort Canada will allow companies to take advantage of the cargo capabilities of Richardson International Airport, as well as serviced land, a mid-continent location and highway and rail transport.

On April 14, 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Premier Gary Doer announced at James Richardson that both the Federal and Provincial governments will contribute $212.5 million towards a divided four lane expressway called CentrePort Canada Way. It is now complete, and links Inkster Boulevard to the Perimeter Highway on the north side of the CP Rail Glenboro subdivision parallel to Saskatchewan Avenue to attract new transportation logistics associated development to the city area west and Rosser Municipality northwest of the airport.

Incidents and accidents

Air Canada Embraer E190 at the gate

• On July 23, 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 (now known as the Gimli Glider), a Boeing 767 trying to reach Winnipeg, as an alternate was forced to make an emergency landing in Gimli, Manitoba after running out of fuel. No one was injured. This incident was the subject of the book, Freefall, by William Hoffer and the subsequent TV movie, Falling from the Sky: Flight 174, starring William Devane.
• On March 3, 2007, British Airways Flight BA289, a Boeing 747 flying from London Heathrow Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, made an unscheduled landing at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after a passenger became unruly when he was refused alcohol. The passenger was charged with mischief, causing a disturbance and failing to comply with instructions from the flight crew. The aircraft sat on the tarmac for two hours before resuming its trip to Phoenix.^[19]
• On June 19, 2007, a Northwest Airlines Boeing 747 cargo plane en route from Wilmington, Ohio to Anchorage, Alaska made an emergency landing at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after reporting a fire inside the airplane. No one was injured. After cleanup, an unrelated engine problem forced the 747 to remain in Winnipeg, leaving a week later on three engines.^[20]
• On October 9, 2009, United Airlines Flight 6648 from Denver landed and was taxiing when it skidded off into the grass due to blowing snow at the airport which caused poor visibility. All 35 passengers and crew were safe but the airport had to close one of two runways due to the incident. It took 18 hours to remove the airliner from the snow. In a separate incident the same evening, an Air Canada Jazz aircraft reported hitting a number of birds shortly after takeoff. The crew turned back to Winnipeg and landed safely. An initial investigation found minor damage on the Air Canada aircraft.^[21]
• On October 25, 2010, a United Airlines Boeing 777 made a successful emergency landing in the afternoon after the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit. The flight was from Chicago en route to Shanghai. Everyone on board was fine.^[22]
• On May 9, 2013, a Boeing 777-300ER, Cathay Pacific Flight 806 from Hong Kong to Chicago, made an emergency landing at Winnipeg due to a possible cargo hold fire. The plane landed safely, and ultimately no fire was found on board.^[23]

References

Notes

1. "Airport Divestiture Status Report." Transport Canada. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
2. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 24 July 2014 to 0901Z 18 September 2014
3. "Synoptic/Metstat Station Information." weatheroffice.gc.ca. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
4. "Total aircraft movements by class of operation – NAV CANADA towers." Stats Canada. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
5. 2005–2014 "Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson Passenger Statistics." Winnipeg Airports Authority. Retrieved: February 25, 2015.
6. "National Airports Policy." Transport Canada. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
8. Schlesinger, Joel. "Port on the Prairies: Supply-chain economics key to becoming international trade hub." Winnipeg Free Press, May 17, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
9. "Airlines>" Winnipeg Airports Authorities. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
10. "Canada's New Government Renames Winnipeg International Airport in Honour of James Armstrong Richardson." Winnipeg Airport Authorities, Press release. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
11. "Daily Commercial News - Canada’s first LEED certified airport terminal opens in Winnipeg". Retrieved August 10, 2015.
12. "Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects' Airport Terminal Opens in Winnipeg". Retrieved August 10, 2015.
13. "Winnipeg airport terminal listed among world's iconic". April 3, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
14. "Winnipeg's new airport terminal opens." CBC News, October 30, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
15. Carl, Julie. "Airport sneak peek delights." Winnipeg Free Press, October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
17. "Canada Post announces new state-of-the-art plant to be built at the airport." Winnipeg Airports Authority. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
18. "Centreport Canada, Winnipeg Inland Port, Manitoba, Trade - Centreport Canada". Retrieved August 10, 2015.
19. "Aircraft diverted." Winnipeg Sun, March 5, 2007.
20. "Warning signal forces cargo plane to land." Winnipeg Free Press Online Edition, June 19, 2007.
21. "Airplane runway delays." cbc.ca. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
22. "Plane makes emergency landing in Winnipeg after pilot reports smoke in cockpit." CTV. Retrieved: April 1, 2012.
23. "Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night" Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved: May 10, 2013.

Bibliography

• Canada's Airports: Reinvention & Success. Ottawa-Macdonald-Cartier: Insight Media commissioned by the Canadian Airports Council (CAC), 2005.

External links

• Winnipeg International Airport

• Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport from Nav Canada as available.