You still can’t book a flight out of Lethbridge.
It’s been four months since WestJet’s last plane left Lethbridge Airport (YQL) for Calgary on June 24. That ended the only scheduled passenger service in the city. Medicine Hat lost its WestJet flights the same day.
Since then, the province has asked airlines to pitch regional routes and is considering paying them to fly. As of today, though, no airline has announced a route to Lethbridge, and there is no date for flights to return.
Here’s where things stand.
Alberta asked airlines to pitch regional routes
In June, the Alberta government put out a call for airlines across North America to start or expand scheduled service to regional airports. Submissions closed July 6.
The province said it would spend up to $5 million over two years on the effort. The goal is to connect regional centres like Lethbridge and Medicine Hat with the Calgary and Edmonton airports.
CBC News reported in early October that six carriers responded and that the province is weighing a subsidy program. Alberta hasn’t said which airlines applied, which airports they want to serve, or whether any of them proposed Lethbridge.
Lethbridge Airport manager Cameron Prince told CBC the City is making it a priority.
“We are putting a big focus on getting that back, and the government of Alberta will hopefully help to incentivize that sooner rather than later,” Prince said.
The province is still working out the details. Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright said this month that “the government continues to assess options for the development of a regional air service incentive program.” The province has said it expects to share program information with regional airports this fall.
How a subsidy might work
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen has pointed to Saskatchewan as a model. There, the province backs a set number of seats on certain routes, and the subsidy is only paid if the planes don’t fill.
“If you have enough passengers, that subsidy never kicks in,” Dreeshen said in August, calling it “something that we’re looking at as an option.” He also said a mix of passenger and cargo service is being considered.
The pitch is about more than vacations. Premier Danielle Smith has tied regional air service to Alberta’s push for defence and aerospace investment, especially in communities near military bases like CFB Suffield and CFB Cold Lake.
The bigger question is whether a route that needs public money to start can survive once the money stops.
Lethbridge has lost flights before
WestJet’s exit didn’t come out of nowhere.
Air Canada ended its regional service to Lethbridge in 2020. WestJet stayed, but cut its Calgary route from three daily flights to one in fall 2024. In February, it announced it would leave Lethbridge and Medicine Hat entirely, citing financial reasons.
Mayor Blaine Hyggen called the news “a complete bombshell” at the time.
We covered WestJet’s final flights out of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat in June, when neither city had a replacement lined up. Medicine Hat’s airport contacted almost two dozen smaller airlines looking for one.
That history is why City officials are careful not to promise anything. Prince has said he’s optimistic but that airline network planning takes time.
The airport is still surprisingly busy
Losing an airline isn’t the same as losing an airport.
YQL handled 33,366 aircraft movements in 2025, according to the City. That works out to about 100 a day. Busy days top 200.
WestJet made up just 717 of those movements, about 2 per cent of the airport’s traffic.
The other 98 per cent includes:
Medevac flights
RCMP aviation
Charter airlines
Private pilots and business aircraft
A flight school
Cargo
Crop-spraying aircraft
Medevac is the big one. The City calls medevac service “critical to have in a community of our size,” and those flights need a working airport whether or not anyone is selling tickets.
A takeoff and a landing count as separate movements, so this measures airport activity, not passenger numbers.
An updated airport workplan went to City council’s Community Issues Committee last week. It focuses on three things: growing revenue, keeping the airport viable and improving connectivity. Talks with airlines are ongoing.
What YQL costs Lethbridge taxpayers
The City puts about $1.7 million a year into airport operations, using taxes and one-time reserve transfers. That’s roughly 0.85 per cent of the City’s tax-supported budget.
The City has said property taxes won’t go up because WestJet left.
The timing stings. Lethbridge recently finished a major terminal and airfield renovation. The City put in $2.6 million, and grants from Ottawa and the province covered more than $23 million, about 93 per cent of the cost.
To save money now, the City is trimming terminal costs like janitorial service, power and gas. The terminal still houses Nav Canada’s flight service station.
The City’s other plan: make money from airport land
Finding an airline is only part of the strategy. The City owns the land around the airport and wants it earning money.
It’s working on a business development plan and market study. In the meantime, it’s pursuing corporate charter and hangar businesses, plus lower-impact uses like hangars and warehousing.
Bigger development is held back by servicing. Mayor Hyggen’s October column says areas around the airport “currently have constrained water and wastewater services.”
The City is pitching a $287 million regional water and wastewater project to fix that. It would open about 4,000 hectares in southeast Lethbridge for homes and businesses. The business case asks the province for $95.6 million. If funding comes through, construction would start in 2027 and finish by 2030.
How to get from Lethbridge to Calgary International Airport
Until flights come back, most travellers will drive or ride to YYC.
Drive. Budget roughly two and a half hours from Lethbridge to the airport, plus time for parking, check-in and security. Southern Alberta roads can turn quickly in winter, so check Alberta 511 before you leave.
Take the bus. Ebus runs a Lethbridge-to-Calgary route with a stop at Calgary International Airport, and it picks up downtown and at the University of Lethbridge. The trip takes close to three hours with stops along Highway 2. Departure times won’t line up with every flight, so check the Ebus schedule before you book your plane ticket.
Book a shuttle. Private shuttle and charter companies offer door-to-door rides to YYC. They cost much more than the bus for one person, but they can make sense for groups or very early flights. Get a quote first.
When will flights come back?
Nobody knows yet.
The next step is the province naming which airlines it will support and on which routes. Even then, Lethbridge has to be on an airline’s actual schedule, with a start date and tickets for sale.
Lethbridge has an upgraded terminal, a busy airfield and a province that says it wants to help. What it doesn’t have is an airline willing to commit.
Until one does, plan on Calgary.
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