Iqaluit Airport
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| Iqaluit Airport | |||
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| IATA: YFB – ICAO: CYFB | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner/Operator | Government of Nunavut[1] | ||
| Location | Iqaluit | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 110 ft / 34 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 17/35 | 8,600 | 2,621 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2007) | |||
| Aircraft Movements | 19,230 | ||
| Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[2] Statistics from Transport Canada.[3] |
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Iqaluit Airport (IATA: YFB, ICAO: CYFB) serves Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada and is located adjacent to the town. It is operated by the government of Nunavut. It hosts scheduled passenger service from Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin Inlet and Kuujjuaq on carriers such as First Air and Canadian North, as well as from smaller communities throughout eastern Nunavut.
The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency. CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Facilities
- 1 hangar/cargo terminals
- 1 two story terminal building
- 1 main runway
- three aprons
The main terminal has:
- check-in desks
- 3 gates
- 1 baggage claim belt
- Gift Shop
- Travel Agent
- Tourist Help Desk
- Car Rental
- Taxi Service/Rank
- Baby/Parent Room
- Disabled Access/Facilities
There are 30 short term parking spaces at the airport.
[edit] Other information
On May 31, 1996, Virgin Atlantic flight 7 from London to Los Angeles made an emergency landing at Iqaluit after a passenger had a heart attack. The landing was executed safely - the first Boeing 747 ever to attempt to land at Iqaluit - but one of the 747's engines hit a fuel pump on the tarmac as it was taxiing, causing serious damage to the aircraft and a potentially dangerous fuel spill. The 397 stranded passengers, including singer Gary Barlow, were flown out after Virgin Atlantic chartered two jets. The passengers, after spending 16 hours in a local curling rink, were taken to New York City to catch connecting flights to Los Angeles. Prince Michael of Kent, who had also been on the flight, was given a Royal Canadian Mounted Police escort and departed on an earlier scheduled flight. The original aircraft had its engines repaired and left four days after the accident.[4]
On 14 August 1996 a Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet left the runway during takeoff, slid down an embankment and ruptured a fuel pipeline. The aircraft caught fire, as did fuel spilling from the pipeline, however the pilot had ejected just as the plane left the runway and suffered a broken ankle. The pipeline was shut down and the fire brought under control in less than an hour.[5]
There is a persistent but false rumour that Iqaluit Airport is one of the emergency landing sites for NASA's Space Shuttle, due to the length of its runway and its geographic location.[6] This can easily be disproved by noting that Iqaluit's runway is less than 9,000 feet (2,700 m) long.
The Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet, conducted cold weather testing from Iqaluit Airport during February 2006 - its first North American visit. They were hoping to experience -25 °C (-13 °F) weather to determine the effects on cabin temperatures and engine performance. Nunavut authorities hope that the importance of this test will put Iqaluit on the map as a centre for cold-weather testing.[7]
In December of 2005 the Government of Nunavut announced that they would spend $40 million to repair the runway, build a new emergency services facility and a new terminal.[8]
[edit] Airlines and destinations
- Canadian North (Cambridge Bay, Cape Dorset, Clyde River, Edmonton, Hall Beach, Iglooik, Ottawa, Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Qikiqtarjuaq, Rankin Inlet, Yellowknife)[9]
- First Air (Cape Dorset, Clyde River, Hall Beach, Igloolik, Kimmirut, Kuujjuaq, Montreal-Trudeau, Nanisivik, Ottawa, Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Rankin Inlet)
- Kenn Borek Air
- Air Nunavut
- Canadian Helicopters
- Unaalik Aviation
[edit] References
- ^ Airport Divestiture Status Report
- ^ a b Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 10 April 2008 to 0901Z 5 June 2008
- ^ Aircraft Movement Statistics: NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations: Annual Report 2007
- ^ Unexpected Arctic stop for Brits, Yanks
- ^ Pilot ejects in nick of time as CF-18 crashes while attempting to take off.
- ^ List of Space Shuttle emergency landing sites at GlobalSecurity.org
- ^ CBC report
- ^ Nunatsiaq News
- ^ Route map and Flight Schedule
[edit] External links
- Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Iqaluit Airport from NAV CANADA as available.
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