About North Peace Regional Airport

• Located in one British Columbia’s fastest-growing regions, North Peace Regional Airport serves the Peace River Region, including the District of Taylor and the City of Fort St. John.
• In 2018, YXJ welcomed a record 268,000 passengers travelling on three different commercial airlines: Air Canada, Central Mountain Air and WestJet.
• Today, scheduled passenger service connects business and leisure travellers to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Prince George – and to more than 100 onward destinations via airline hubs in these cities.
• Thanks to the region’s robust energy sector and active projects like BC Hydro’s Site C Project, the airport also welcomed approximately 12,000 passengers on charter aircraft in 2018.
• YXJ’s storied history began in 1938, when the local Board of Trade advocated the Department of Transport to invest in a landing strip strategically located on the air route between Edmonton and White Horse.
• During the Second World War, the region’s strategic location took on greater significance as a northwest staging route to Alaska, and in 1943 an entirely new airfield was built by the U.S. Air Force at the site occupied by the airport today. After the war, the facilities were purchased by the Canadian government, and in April 1951, North Peace Regional Airport officially became a port of entry under Canada’s Department of Transport.
• In 1997, the North Peace Airport Society entered into a long-term lease agreement and management contract with Vantage Airport Group, which continues to operate the airport today.
• A substantial expansion and renovation of YXJ was completed in 2005, resulting in a larger, 2,800 square metre terminal, substantial apron and taxiway rehabilitation and safety upgrades including a new airport lighting system.
• The terminal building includes energy-efficient features such as canopies to allow sun to enter the building during winter and provide shade in the summer. An innovative roof design minimizes snow accumulation in the winter.
• A recent impact study found that activity at North Peace Regional Airport supports the economic wellbeing of the communities it serves by contributing:
  • $24 million annually to GDP
  • More than 300 local jobs translating to $18 million in household income
  • $8.2 million in tax revenue