Gander Airport
Airport Hotels, Airport Car Rental, Parking, Maps, Flights and Airport Information

Gander Airport

The Gander International Airport is designated as a National Airport System airport under the National Airports Policy. National Airport System airports link the country from coast to coast, as well as internationally, and are considered essential to Canada's domestic prosperity and international competitiveness.

Strategically located along routes between the Americas and Europe, the Gander International Airport Authority has a major service role of providing technical stop services to commercial carriers and corporate aircraft for their transatlantic activities. As the main entry points into North American airspace, the airport and the town also provide essential medical and security services in the event of in-flight emergencies. Customs and immigration services are also provided on-site in support of this role.

Within the regional network, the airport provides local residents, and communities in Central Newfoundland with scheduled and charter services for passengers and cargo to major airports, and connecting with transcontinental and international routes. It also provides for the need of regional/local charter services, other commercial operations, flying training, and government civil/military aircraft activities such as search and rescue, fire protection services, etc. In addition, five Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) serving corporate and private aircraft, is located at the airport.

Gander, the central service and industrial hub on Newfoundland's northeast coast, is a community built on the sky.

Anchored by aerospace firms such as CHC Composites, Briggs Aero, Gander Aerospace Training Centre and other public and private training institutions, Gander represents a growing concentration of training, fabrication, repair, warehousing and distribution companies.

With an aviation history pre-dating the town's incorporation in 1958, Gander's rich, storied aviation legacy is very much a part of the community's fabric - all community streets are named in honour of famed people from the world of aviation.

Gander's aviation roots have endured and strengthened. Its leading technology in composite bonding and its skilled, professional workforce, including experienced aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers, structural repair technicians, pilots and communications technicians, have earned Gander the prestigious title of Centre of Aerospace Excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Gander's primary economic industries include communications, public administration and defense. In addition, a large portion of Gander's economy is driven by the service industry. Some 128 surrounding communities, with a combined population of 90,000, rely on the businesses and services provided in Gander.

Its central location in the province also positions Gander as a key conference and convention destination.

Gander is a regional, post-secondary training centre, with two community colleges offering a variety of trades and technology career choices. As a result, Gander's skilled labor force boasts a higher level of training than that of the province as a whole, with 55% having some post-secondary education compared with 49% provincially. In addition, the labor force participation rate for both men and women is above the provincial average.

HOTELS   (Click Here)
Where to stay? International Airport Guide offers discounted rates on Gander Airport Hotels. We have negotiated rates offering 45% off hotel rack rates. All hotels are quality rated through AAA or Mobil Travel Guide, the industry's most trusted sources.

Our special consortium rates with local airport hotels will ensure that you are receiving the lowest rates on Airport Hotels near Gander Airport.

Airport Facts

Gander International Airport (IATA: YQX, ICAO: CYQX) is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and is currently run by the Gander Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base 9 Wing Gander (see below) shares the airfield but it is a separate entity.

Runways
Currently, Gander has two active runways: runway 13-31 of 8,900 x 200 feet (2,712 x 61 m), and runway 03-21 (changed from 04-22 in August 2004) which measures 10,200 x 200 feet (3,109 x 61 m). Runway 09-27 at 1875 x 50 feet (571 x 15 m) is for daytime, VFR use only and is closed from 01 December until 30 June.
The size of the Gander airport allows it to be an alternative landing site for the US Space Shuttle.

Competition for Trans-Atlantic Flights
Gander competes with Bangor International Airport, located in Bangor, Maine for Trans-Atlantic flights. Although Gander has a slight edge over Bangor in the number of daily Trans-Atlantic flights, Bangor has become more and more active with Trans-Atlantic flights. This is due to the Iraq war with troops going to and coming home from Iraq. A common visitor to Gander is Evergreen International Airlines.

History
Construction of the airport began in 1936 and it was opened in 1938, with its first landing on January 11 of that year, by Captain Douglas Fraser flying a Fox Moth of Imperial Airways. Within a few years it had four runways and was the largest airport in the world. It's official name until 1941 was Newfoundland Airport.

Gander was a major airport during the Second World War due to the heavy transit traffic across the North Atlantic to the United Kingdom. Almost all the planes destined for the European front traveled through Gander. Its importance was largely a matter of geography, as Gander lies almost precisely on the great circle route between the major cities of the U.S. East Coast and London and was sufficiently close to Europe to allow the piston-engine planes of that day to make a non-refueled transatlantic crossing from there.