Before 1940, Kingston was served only by the Kingston Airfield, a grass strip just north of the city's downtown, which closed in 1942. In 1940, during the Second World War, an airfield was built to the west of Kingston to serve as a training station for the Royal Air Force's No. 31 Service Flying Training School (SFTS). The school provided advanced flight training in Battle and Harvard aircraft. In 1942 the school became part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). The BCATP's No. 14 Service Flying Training School moved to Kingston in 1944 and merged with the RAF school. No. 14 SFTS
used Harvards, Yales and Ansons. The airport's runway outline displays the classic BCATP triangle pattern. A decommissioned yellow Harvard aircraft now stands on a pedestal near the airport entrance to commemorate the airport's wartime role.
In 1953, naval air squadron VC 921 was formed as a tender to HMCS Cataraqui, and used the airport. The unit operated Harvards and one C-45D Expeditor until it was disbanded in 1959.[6]
The airport was transferred to city control in 1972.
Norman Rogers Airport Terminal in 2023
The airport was originally built with six 2,500 ft (760 m) runways; however, this was reduced to three, as they were all parallel runways. One can still see where some parts of the parallel runways were from the air. Later, runway 01/19 was extended northwards to a length of 5,000 ft (1,500 m) to handle larger aircraft, and it was later extended to 6,000 ft (1,800 m) (the prevailing wind is from the south off Lake Ontario). Runway 07/25 was extended northeastwards to a length of nearly 4,000 ft (1,200 m), with no plans to extend it, due to the requirements for certified airports on runways over a certain length. The remaining runway, 12/30, was decommissioned in 2003 and converted to a taxiway.
Kingston Airport became a part of the Southern Ontario Airport Network (SOAN), a newly formed airport alliance, in 2017.[7] This network comprises 12 commercial airports in Southern Ontario.[8]
In 2018, the city extended runway 01/19 from 5,000 ft to 6,001 ft. At the same time, the terminal was under construction with plans to expand the post security waiting area to accommodate larger aircraft such as a 737 or Q400. Construction is also underway at the departure and arrival areas to accommodate more passengers as well as a general renovation to make it more inviting and accessible.
On August 31, 2020, FlyGTA Airlines announced that it would begin regular passenger service four days per week between Kingston and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on September 10.[10] However, due to COVID, the airline stopped running this service on December 10, 2020.
On January 11, 2022, the City of Kingston announced that once again, it has partnered with FlyGTA Airlines to offer passenger service between Kingston and Toronto starting January 31, 2022.[12]
On August 30, 2022, at Norman Rogers Airport a press conference was hosted by Mark Gerretsen, the MP for Kingston and the Islands, concerning federal funding totaling $2.8 million through the Regional Air Transportation Initiative (RATI). This funding will be distributed among four airports in southern Ontario, including Kingston Airport, Cornwall Regional Airport, Huronia Airport, and Arnprior Airport.[13]
The City of Kingston, which manages Kingston Airport, will obtain a $1.3 million non-repayable investment aimed at enhancing safety protocols and formulating strategic plans to adapt the airport to the post-pandemic landscape. This financial support is expected to facilitate the return of over 18,000 passengers traveling between Kingston and Toronto through Kingston Airport.[14][15]
On approach to runway 25 in a Cessna C-150
On December 1, 2022, the City of Kingston announced that Pascan Aviation will be pausing their air service at YGK Airport as of January 6, 2023.[16] The pause in service means that Kingston will be losing its only regular passenger airline service, at least temporarily.[17]
In March 2023, Aron Winterstein, the manager of Kingston Airport, revealed that they are actively engaging in conversations with multiple airlines, with the aim of restoring passenger services at the airport.[18] Furthermore, Winterstein suggested that international flights could be a possibility in the future. Apart from commercial flights, the airport now accommodates a range of regular operations. Winterstein stated that the airport currently handles approximately 80% of the flights it did prior to the pandemic.[18] These operations include daily medical transfer flights from the Moosonee and James Bay areas to Kingston Health Sciences Centre hospitals, daily cargo flights, military operations, and private corporate flights. Despite this, the unavailability of some services has left a noticeable effect. The general public has expressed concern regarding the absence of open communication and a well-defined strategy for reinstating air services.[19]
Kingston Airport services two frequencies: ATIS (135.550 MHz) and radio (122.500 MHz). There is also guidance for private aircraft needing fuel or parking on Kingston Flying Club Advisory (122.800 MHz).
There is an instrument landing system servicing Runway 19, on the frequency 111.3 MHz.[20]
Kingston also has a non-directional beacon (NDB) that transmits "YGK" in Morse code on the longwave radio frequency of 263 kHz.[21] YGK was decommissioned on November 30, 2023.
