Region of Waterloo International Airport — Attraction in Woolwich

Region of Waterloo International Airport or Kitchener/Waterloo Airport (IATA: YKF, ICAO: CYKF) is an international airport serving the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Woolwich, Ontario, Canada, west of Toronto.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport can handle any general aviation aircraft up to 180 people with two hours prior notice.

The terminal building has an international/domestic lounge. There are two separate baggage carousel, one for domestic and the other international. There are four gates (one international, one domestic arrivals, two domestic departure) at this terminal to handle scheduled flights. There is a licensed sit-down eating area and a vending area for people travelling through the airport.

The airport used to be named Waterloo Regional Airport but it changed its name in March 2004 after Northwest Airlines announced that it would run daily flights to Detroit.

Construction began on the Kitchener-Waterloo Municipal Airport, also known as Lexington Airport, in 1929 on the Heinrich farm on Lexington Road in Waterloo. The towns of Kitchener and Waterloo and the Ontario Equitable Life and Accident Insurance Company acquired the lands to build a land and water airport facility. Completed in 1930, the airfield was mainly used for flying instruction. The airport had two grass runways (1,800 ft [550 m] and 2,000 ft [610 m]) on 83 acres (34 ha) on southeast side of Lexington Road. Gilles Air Service began to operate from the airfield from 1930 to 1932 and was succeeded by Kitchener-Waterloo Flying Club from 1932 to 1951. During World War II civilian aviation ceased at the airfield and it was used by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. At the end of the War there was a push for a larger and more appropriate place for private and commercial aviation in the area. In 1948 the Waterloo-Wellington Airport Commission acquired a larger site in Breslau, Ontario area and a new airfield was completed there in 1950. The original airport was sold in 1951 to A.B. Caya and re-developed into a mixed residential and commercial area. The entrance to the former airport is now Lexington Park at 291 Lexington Road.

The new 'K-W Municipal Airport became a general aviation facility in 1969. From 1951 to 1973 the Waterloo-Wellington Flying Club ran the airport and then sold it to Waterloo Region and the City of Guelph. It became a publicly owned airport and was renamed Waterloo Regional Airport. Today it operates 24 hours and seven days a week.

The airport's former name, Waterloo Regional Airport, is now used by Waterloo Regional Airport in Waterloo, Iowa.

Local taxis, limousines and chartered buses provide ground transportation to and from the airport. Private cars park at 3 parking lots located at the airport. Parking pay stations are located at the main lot and in the terminal concourse area.

The main road to access the airport is Regional Road 17 or Fountain Street North. Fountain intersects with Highway 7 to the north (access to Waterloo and Guelph) or with Highway 401 to the south (access to London and Toronto). Connections to Kitchener became easier in 2013 with the extension of Fairway Road across the Grand River to Fountain Street.

Grand River Transit, the public transit operator in the area, does not operate any bus routes to or from the airport (the facility is mainly a general aviation facility and located in a...

I recently had the opportunity to fly from YKF (Kitchener Waterloo) to YWG (Winnipeg) for the first time, and I must say it was a pleasant experience overall. Since I was traveling from East York in Toronto, the airport was conveniently located about an hour's drive away, covering a distance of approximately 120 kilometres.

I used the ParkNFly / YKF-P4 parking lot, although I cannot provide the exact price as I will update it upon my return in a week. (General Parking first 30 mins free)

YKF is one of the smaller airports, but I found this to be an advantage in terms of efficiency. From the parking lot to the security gate, and finally to my boarding gate, the entire process took me a mere 15 minutes. This quick and seamless transition definitely made a positive impression on me.

Inside the security gate, I was delighted to find a small cafe. The seating arrangements were lovely, and what made it even better was the fact that I could enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the runways and planes. This added a touch of relaxation and enjoyment to my pre-flight experience.

What truly stood out during my time at YKF was the friendly atmosphere created by the employees, security personnel, and baristas. Everyone I encountered was genuinely welcoming and helpful, which contributed to a positive overall experience. It's reassuring to know that the staff at YKF prioritize customer satisfaction and strive to make every traveler feel comfortable.

Based on my first experience flying from YKF, I can confidently say that I see myself choosing this airport for future flights. The combination of convenient parking options, quick processing times, pleasant amenities, and friendly staff make it a promising choice for anyone looking for a hassle-free travel experience.

Update: 7day8hours parking cost $88 including HST.

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Very workable small airport, quick to get through check in and security.

The one problem I have with it is that there is no public transit access, even though it is literally just across the river from the edge of Kitchener.

So, even if you have a light amount of luggage, it's taxi or uber, etc. only. Even if your flight arrival/departure times were to line up with the hours of operation of Grand River Transit, it is impractical to walk to one of the two nearest bridges across the river to Kitchener, then to a GRT bus transit stop - particularly in winter and/or in early morning or evening darkness, when it might be dangerous to attempt that along some of of the roads involved.

Reminds me of when, not that many years ago, the pros and cons were being debated of having GRT bus routes run across the highway, between Kitchener/Waterloo on the one side of the highway and Cambridge on the other. Some politicians were of the opinion that college and university students' beer money properly belonged on the Kitchener/Waterloo side of the highway, didn't want that beer money going across the highway on public transit to Cambridge.

Leaves me wondering if the lack of public transit to a so-called International airport, as very close as it is to the edge of Kitchener, is a feeble, attenuated attempt by politicians to support a declining taxi industry. An industry that they don't have the courage to be seen supporting otherwise, through regulation of "ride sharing" services to the same degree that they regulate municipal licensed taxis.

(Ride sharing is cool, taxis are not, maybe they'll lose the cool vote. If there is such an animal as the cool vote in low voter turnout municipal elections in jurisdictions under...