Whitehorse Airport (YXY) Information

Where is Whitehorse Airport?  

The city of Whitehorse is located at kilometre 1476 (roughly Historic Mile 920) on the Alaska Highway, in the southern Yukon.

Whitehorse is home to the SS Klondike National Historic Site, evidence of the city's role in the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890's, and the discovery of copper in the same period. Today, a car from the old tram line is a tourist attraction.

Whitehorse International Airport (IATA: YXY, ICAO: CYXY), officially Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport, Erik Nielsen Whitehorse Airport or Erik Nielsen Airport, commonly referred to as simply Whitehorse Airport, is located about 5 kilometres (3 miles) from downtown Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The airport is renamed in honour of longtime Yukon Member of Parliament, Erik Nielsen.

In 2011, Whitehorse Airport served 267,442 passengers.

A recent expansion has doubled Whitehorse Airport's capacity and added new terminal amenities. Classified as a Canadian airport of entry by NAV CANADA, YXY Airport is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Airlines that fly to YXY include Air Canada, Air Canada Express, Air North, Condor and WestJet.

Cities with flights to Whitehorse Airport include Calgary, Dawson City, Edmonton, Fairbanks, Frankfurt (not a typo!), Inuvik, Kelowna, Las Vegas, Old Crow, Vancouver and Victoria, although some are seasonal and/or charter service. 

In addition to commercial service, numerous small air charter operators and bush pilots use the Whitehorse Airport and it serves as a major base for water bombers used in forest firefighting operations. 

Your best bet for a Whitehorse Airport transfer is a rental car. Details on all options are included in this guide.

In August 2013, Whitehorse Airport was featured on Amazing Race Canada.

Services and things to know about at Whitehorse Airport:

• There is a restaurant - open 05:30 - 16:30
• The terminal building opens at 04:45 and closes after the arrival of the last scheduled flight of the day (normally around 01:30)

 

Interesting feature: there is an old Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-3 on a pedestal in the Whitehorse Airport parking lot that serves as a weather vane. Look for it if you have time to stretch your legs.

Additional Whitehorse Airport information may be found by visiting their official website below.

• Official YXY Whitehorse International Airport Website