Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, by far Manitoba’s largest, is not only the province’s only international airport, but also the only Manitoba airport which handles large passenger aircraft. Nearly 3.5 million passengers entered the airport’s LEED-certified passenger terminal in 2011, ranking it Canada’s eighth busiest air facility. It is one of only a handful of Canadian airports offering unrestricted 24-hour service.
This is the primary international airport for not only Manitoba, but also large parts of northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan, the American states of Minnesota and North Dakota, and even Canada’s far north territory of Nunavut. Several isolated Nunavut, northern Manitoba, and northwest Ontario communities can only be reached by air. However, many direct flights are also available to Mexico, the Caribbean, the United States, and other major Canadian cities. The terminal includes two T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants, a chocolate factory, two duty-free shops, a Liquor Mart Express, and all the other facilities one would expect of an airport serving such a large geographic area.
The Winnipeg Bus Terminal is conveniently situated next to the airport’s main terminal building, and the Brandon Air Shuttle transports passengers directly between Manitoba’s second biggest city and Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. Passengers can travel the 10-minute journey downtown by taking any of the taxis or limousines parked outside or by boarding the Winnipeg Transit routes 20 or 15 between the airport and the city. The terminal’s arrivals level contains the National, Avis, Hertz, and Enterprise branches supplying the airport’s car rental services.