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St. John's International Airport (CYYT) sits on the eastern edge of the Avalon Peninsula, a few nautical miles northwest of downtown St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and is Canada's most easterly international gateway. It offers a substantial ILS-equipped runway system and full ATC services, making it an interesting and useful stop for a simulator pilot flying the North Atlantic or exploring eastern Canada.
St. John's International Airport is the principal airport serving the city of St. John's and the wider Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated by the St. John's International Airport Authority Inc. and is designated by Transport Canada as an international airport, with Canada Border Services Agency officers on site handling aircraft of up to 165 passengers. As Canada's most easterly international airport, it is a natural waypoint for transatlantic simulator flights and a good example of a busy Canadian regional hub with a full instrument approach.
The airport lies about three nautical miles northwest of downtown St. John's, close enough to the city that it is regarded locally as a "downtown" airport, though it operates without noise restrictions. It sits within the airspace managed by Gander Centre, and pilots working the field will use Gander Centre for en-route control alongside dedicated tower and ground frequencies for the immediate St. John's zone.
CYYT has three physical runways, all hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 11/29 is the longest at 8480 feet, runway 16/34 is 6967 feet and carries an ILS on runway 16, and runway 02/20 is 4821 feet. Field elevation is 443 feet.
ATIS broadcasts on 128 MHz. Gander Centre provides area control on 133.15 MHz. Tower operates on 120.6 MHz, described in local usage as Halifax Radio, with ground control on 121.9 MHz. An FBO frequency, Shell, is available on 123 MHz, and a remote communications outlet (RCO) operates on 123.275 MHz. Runway 16 is served by an ILS for instrument approaches.
St. John's International Airport is part of Canada's National Airports System and has long served as the principal air link for the Avalon Peninsula and the wider province. On 1 May 2024 a PAL Airlines Dash 8-400 overran runway 10 on arrival from Halifax in very poor visibility; all aboard survived with only minimal damage to the aircraft. On 29 April 2025 an Air Tractor AT-802 carrying one person departed St. John's bound for Santa Maria in the Azores, underlining the airport's role as a jumping-off point for transatlantic legs.
The airport remains a designated airport of entry staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency, and is the second-busiest airport in Atlantic Canada by passenger numbers. It functions as the main gateway to Newfoundland and Labrador, combining scheduled airline services with general aviation movements, and its ILS-equipped runway and full set of tower, ground and area control frequencies make it a capable and realistic destination for instrument approach practice in the simulator.
