Soaring Through YQL’s History

Pat Parkinson boarding a Lethbridge Air Service plane at Kenyon Field.
Image courtesy the Galt Museum & Archives | Akaisamitohkanao’pa, P1991107613759

For as long as humans have flown, Lethbridge has had the space for it! As aviation took off in the early twentieth century, the need for dedicated airports became clear around the world, from major cities to small rural communities. It wasn’t long before this demand manifested locally into the Lethbridge Airport.

Originally, aviation in Lethbridge mostly took place around the Exhibition Grounds. This land was the first in the city to harbour flight activity, though a lot located along 5 Avenue S (now part of the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute) came soon afterwards. By the 1920s, demand had increased further, and the City of Lethbridge began operating a public aerodrome in what is now the Lakeview neighbourhood; an investment that proved significant in terms of both airmail and commercial transport.

In 1938, the airport relocated to its current site. Initially named Kenyon Field (after H. Hollick-Kenyon, a groundbreaking Canadian aviator), it continued to provide a valuable service, with the Herald predicting that “the name… can be said to fit aptly the airport which is bound to be a distinguishing feature in making Lethbridge known.” This new location was complete with two runways, and the equipment for 24/7, all-weather operation. These operations, however, would not go uninterrupted. The federal government leased the airport in 1940, after which it was used for both military and civilian purposes until the end of the war.

By the late 1960s, the airport’s facilities—then operated by the Canadian Department of Transportation—had come to resemble more closely what we know it as today. It was around this era that local carrier Time Air, founded by Walter “Stubb” Ross, began operations. At its peak, the company provided flight coverage through most of Western Canada, using a variety of aircraft. In the late 1980s, Time Air was sold to Pacific Western Airlines and incorporated into what is now Air Canada; a development that, according to YQL’s website, left Lethbridge as little more than “a spoke to the Calgary hub.” By the mid-1990s, activity had dwindled further, and the airport’s control tower was demolished.

Not all was lost, however, particularly as the Canadian government “relinquished ownership of regional and local airports to regional and local interests” in the 1990s. As such, the County of Lethbridge took ownership of the airport from 1997 until 2018, when it was transferred to the City. Since then, the City of Lethbridge has completed renovations on the airport, with a grand re-opening taking place in May 2022. Despite a sometimes-cloudy history, the Lethbridge Airport appears better-equipped than ever to transport passengers safely and comfortably.

For more information on the history of your favourite Lethbridge institutions, visit galtmuseum.com/research.