Canada's incredible tiny airports and the communities they serve

Flying under the radar

Canada is home to some of the world's most remote and remarkable airports – and many of them are surprisingly small. From gravel runways perched on icy tundra to compact terminals serving just a few flights a week, these airports might be modest in size, but they’re vital lifelines for the communities they serve.

Read on to discover Canada’s most fascinating tiny airports...

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Toronto, Ontario 

Nestled on Toronto’s waterfront just minutes from downtown, Billy Bishop Airport is a compact gateway to Canada’s largest city. Handling over two million passengers annually, it serves both short cross-border flights to the US and popular domestic routes.

Travellers can reach the terminal via an 853-foot (260m) underground pedestrian tunnel from the mainland, while striking views of the Toronto skyline make arrivals and departures feel like a mini adventure.

Kimmirut Airport, Kimmirut, Nunavut

Perched on the rocky Frobisher Bay coast in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island, this tiny, rugged airport’s gravel runway is just 1,899 feet (579m) long, making it one of shortest anywhere in the region – so diminutive, in fact, that it can only handle aircraft with short take-off and landing capabilities.

A new terminal opened in early 2025, not only doubling passenger capacity, but also celebrating Inuit culture with eye-catching art installations within its confines.

Tofino-Long Beach Airport, Tofino, British Columbia

Located about 6.8 miles (11km) from the small coastal district of Tofino on Vancouver Island, this airport sees around 20,000 passengers a year on scheduled flights to and from Vancouver and Victoria. 

Originally built in the early 1940s as a military base, remnants from its World War II past – including bunkers and beach pilings – still dot the landscape. Today, coastal fog frequently disrupts flight schedules, particularly during the summer months.

Watson Lake Airport, Watson Lake, Yukon

Located about 5.5 miles (9km) west of Watson Lake near the British Columbia border, this modest airport has no scheduled commercial service – just charter flights, private pilots and medevac aircraft making use of its 5,500-foot (1,676m) paved runway.

Opened in 1942 as a key stop along the World War II Northwest Staging Route, its distinctive log-sided terminal is now a protected historic site. Today, the airport serves as a launchpad for backcountry hunting, fishing and sightseeing tours deep into Yukon’s rugged wilderness.

Nain Airport, Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador

Just over 0.5 miles (1km) from Unity Bay, Nain Airport is the northernmost in Newfoundland and Labrador. Built in the 1970s, it’s among the oldest airstrips on the province’s north coast – and it shows, with no runway lighting making landings after dark impossible.

Around 10,000 passengers pass through each year, most travelling to Goose Bay and nearby communities. Slowly sinking due to thawing permafrost and coastal erosion, the runway is slated for relocation in the coming years – but for now, it remains a vital link to the outside world.

Kugluktuk Airport, Kugluktuk, Nunavut

Sitting at the mouth of the Coppermine River on Nunavut’s western edge, Kugluktuk Airport serves one of the most remote communities in Canada. With just over 1,300 residents, the airport provides essential links to Yellowknife and beyond.

Its terminal is small but efficient, and staff are known for their warm hospitality – even in the depths of Arctic winter. 'Kugluktuk' means 'place of moving water', and in summer, the tundra bursts into colour beneath near-endless daylight.

St. Theresa Point Airport, St. Theresa Point, Manitoba

Don’t expect baggage carousels or fast food chains here – St. Theresa Point Airport is very much function over frills. With no year-round road access, this gravel-runway hub, set on a small island just north of St. Theresa's main settlement, plays a starring role in daily life. 

In summer, locals travel by boat; in winter, they depend on an ice road. But during the shoulder seasons, it’s this modest little airport that keeps the community connected to the outside world.

Charlo Airport, Charlo, New Brunswick

Tucked between the sea and forest in northern New Brunswick, Charlo Airport offers an enchanting mix of utility and charm. It mainly serves private and charter flights but has a notable past – for years, it supported aerial firefighting missions using vintage TBM Avenger aircraft. 

While it’s quiet today, its coastal location means passengers might catch views of salmon anglers casting lines in nearby rivers. The closest scheduled service is typically via Bathurst, just under an hour’s drive away.

Resolute Bay Airport, Resolute, Nunavut

There’s remote – and then there’s Resolute Bay Airport, often dubbed the northern gateway to the High Arctic. Located on Cornwallis Island, this gravel-runway facility serves a hamlet of around 200 residents with its 6,503-foot (1,982m) strip.

But its role extends far beyond scheduled flights: it’s a critical launch point for scientific expeditions, with Twin Otters and DC‑3s ferrying researchers studying Arctic ice and climate. It also plays a key role in Canadian Forces Arctic operations, serving as a base for drills, patrol and search-and-rescue training.

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Bella Bella Airport, Campbell Island, British Columbia

Tucked within the lush rainforests of the Great Bear Coast sits Bella Bella Airport. Its 3,702-foot (1,128m) asphalt runway handles regular flights to Vancouver and Port Hardy, connecting remote communities to the outside world year-round.

Today, the airport also functions as a convenient refuelling point for small aircraft enroute to Alaska, continuing its legacy as a key waypoint in Canada’s Pacific aviation corridor.

Fort Chipewyan Airport, Fort Chipewyan, Alberta

Accessible only by air or water, with no all-season roads, Fort Chipewyan Airport and its 5,000-foot (1,524m) runway provide a vital pause amid Alberta’s vast northern wilderness.

Located at the edge of Wood Buffalo National Park near Canada’s oldest European settlement in Alberta, the airport is well equipped for fuel stops and basic emergency procedures. These features help ensure safer landings in low-visibility conditions – and offer a reassuring touchpoint in this strikingly remote subarctic landscape.

Grise Fjord Airport, Grise Fiord, Nunavut

Canada’s northernmost airport for civilian flights serves Grise Fiord – known in Inuktitut as Aujuittuq, 'the place that never thaws'. Established during Cold War-era Inuit relocations, the hamlet is now marked by a striking monument carved by local artist Looty Pijamini.

Flights from Resolute Bay arrive just a few times a week, touching down on a rugged gravel runway surrounded by towering Arctic peaks. There’s no real terminal, but landing here earns serious bragging rights – few people make it this far north.

La Ronge Airport, La Ronge, Saskatchewan

Locals know it as Barber Field, but officially it’s La Ronge Airport – named in honour of World War II fighter pilot and northern aviation pioneer Jim Barber, who helped bring bush flying to Saskatchewan’s boreal frontier.

What began in 1947 as a modest fire-spotting strip has grown into one of the province’s busiest regional airports, handling everything from cargo runs and commercial flights to medevac helicopters and floatplanes. Not bad for an airfield that once simply kept watch over the trees.

Kangiqsualujjuaq Airport, Kangiqsualujjuaq, Québec

The only way into Kangiqsualujjuaq in northern Québec is by air or boat – and unless you're confident navigating Ungava Bay in winter, this little airport is your best bet.

The riverside community it serves has come a long way from its 1838 Hudson’s Bay Company trading post days. Today, the airport brings in groceries, mail, medevacs, and the occasional adventurous visitor. There’s no gift shop to be seen, but the scenery is better than a rack of fridge magnets.

Arctic Bay Airport, Arctic Bay, Nunavut

Each summer, when Arctic waters open up, cruise ships occasionally dock at Arctic Bay, bringing visitors eager to purchase intricate Inuit carvings. But for daily life in this remote northern community, it’s the airport that keeps things running.

In 2011, Arctic Bay Airport replaced the aging Nanisivik Airport, which was located 15.5 miles (25km) away. With a new gravel runway and modest terminal much closer to town, year-round access has become far more practical and dependable for residents.

Powell River Airport, Powell River, British Columbia

Originally built in the 1950s to support BC’s booming forestry industry, Powell River Airport still punches above its weight. Pacific Coastal Airlines is currently the only commercial carrier, offering quick 30-minute hops to and from Vancouver International.

The terminal is as modest as the town itself, but improvements have been underway in recent years – including long-overdue upgrades to the decades-old runway and navigation systems. And if you fancy taking to the skies yourself, the local Westview Flying Club is at your service.

Masset Airport, Masset, British Columbia

Originally built as a military airstrip in 1943, this northern gateway to Haida Gwaii has evolved into a modest but important transport hub. Just two miles (3km) from the village of Masset, its 5,000-foot (1,524m) runway can accommodate aircraft as large as a Boeing 737, though it typically sees smaller turboprops.

Pacific Coastal Airlines connects Masset with Vancouver’s South Terminal, and while the terminal is simple, the airport earned a Silver Wings Environmental Award in 2017 for its solar energy initiatives – adding a touch of green innovation to this remote coastal outpost.

Sachs Harbour Airport, Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories

On windswept Banks Island, this gravel-strip airport is a lifeline to the remote hamlet of Sachs Harbour. Served by Aklak Air in partnership with Canadian North, it connects the community to Inuvik and onward to Yellowknife.

A modest new terminal opened in 2011, but even with a steady trickle of passengers, they’re still outnumbered by the region’s famously abundant polar bears. As for supplies – groceries, mail, and medicine – they’re all flown in.

Gjoa Haven Airport, Gjoa Haven, Nunavut

Situated on the southeast coast of King William Island, this small Arctic airstrip serves as the gateway to Gjoa Haven – one of Canada’s most storied communities. It was here that Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen spent two winters during his early 20th-century expedition through the Northwest Passage.

Today, Canadian North connects the hamlet to the south via regular flights through Cambridge Bay, delivering everything from fresh supplies to the occasional adventurous traveller. The terminal is compact but welcoming, with a modest waiting room and friendly local staff.

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