About Us

Prince Albert Airport is a Certified Airport, that is required by Transport Canada to have a Wildlife Management Plan. This includes use of Scare Cannons to control geese and ducks.

To be effective the cannons need be activated for at least 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. We change the timers every Monday to start 30 minutes before sunrise turning off 2 hours later and starting 1.5 hours before sunset turning off 30 minutes past sunset.

These times are the typical behavior for geese to move from roost (water) to feeding (fields, including airfields). To be effective for preventing geese being at the airport we have to habitually train (scare) them to avoid the airport when they are most inclined to fly over and land in the field. 

Spring migration at YPA usually starts in early April ending late May, starting again in early September ending late October.  Cannons will remain in used every day during these periods or when the migratory activity has stopped. We do have a few resident birds that nest nearby so cannon activity may also happen at other time in the summer. 

The airport never closes and is frequently used for medevac flights so the canons are active throughout the weekends and beyond when people see the bulk of aircraft activity. 

On occasion if the cannon battery gets low it can affect the timer and fire out of the set times.

The Airport Advisory Committee acts as a review body for the Prince Albert Airport related to the business operations and strategic development of the Airport.  

We want to make the public aware that the Prince Albert Airport has no authority over drones, but they can impact our operations so we would like to alert the public to the following matters regarding drones:

1. The Airport is not to be called to police drones that fly in your area.

2. However, if a drone is being operated near the Airport without NOTAM (NOtice To AirMen) it will be reported to the police and this can result in serious penalties up to $25 000.

3. If you want to fly in controlled airspace, you need to request access authorization from NAV CANADA or DND.

4. Most of Prince Albert might be considered controlled airspace because of its proximity to the airport. The airport has critical Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) which is a complex geometrical shape that can’t have any obstacles in them without approval. Because of the OLS shape, people are cautioned against operating the crafts within a 4000m bubble of the airport, even with proper permits.

5. This link is a very useful tool for drone pilots to understand where the rules apply regarding controlled airspace: 

6. Drones must be registered and marked.

7. You’ll need a drone pilot certificate to fly.

If you own a drone, it is important to understand the new Transport Canada rules that are in effect June 1, 2019.

The City of Prince Albert operates the airport but does not have access to view the privately owned aircraft or hangars that may be of interest to students. It is recommended that you coordinate with the below organizations to view their facilities and equipment

• RCMP 306-765-5564 (police aircraft)
• Fire Base 306-953-3442 (forest firefighting aircraft)
• Transwest Air 306-764-1404 (airline)
• Snowbird: 306-764-4931 (terminal staff, passenger, cargo handling and aircraft fueling)
• Helilift 306-783-5438 (helicopter operations)
• NavCanada does not normally provide tours of the air traffic control tower due to the critical natures of their work.

Once you have arranged a tour with any of the private operators, please contact the Airport Manager through the Public Works office if you are also interested in touring the maintenance garage (snowblowers, runway sweepers, etc). Tours can be booked any weekday between 9am and 4pm. The terminal building is a public building so you are welcome to view that space any time without a tour guide.

The grass area just north of the terminal building is a great location to view the aircraft takeoffs, landings and passenger/cargo loading. Binoculars are suggested.

The Prince Albert Airport - Strategic Master Plan provides guidance for airport development. The Plan's objective is to ensure that adequate infrastructure and services are available to support current and future commercial air services and private aviation activities at the Airport and within the community.

Safety at the Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport is our number one priority. We are committed to providing a safe environment for the travelling public. We encourage reporting any real or perceived safety issues.

You can report an aviation safety issue, violation, hazardous condition, error, near miss incident, or makes suggestions that seek to improve aviation safety.

Please fill out the Prince Albert Airport Safety Management System Report Form.

How do I report low flying aircraft in Canada?

While in the vast majority of cases aircraft are flying at altitudes consistent with those prescribed by regulations and in published procedures, details about aircraft suspected of flying too low or in an unsafe manner should be sent to Transport Canada at services@tc.gc.ca or call 1-800-305-2059.

The Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport (IATA: YPA, ICAO: CYPA) is located 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2mi) northeast of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Canada.

In 1929 the federal government acquired a small parcel of land that would become the Prince Albert Airport. Back then the runways were plowed and seeded with Brome grass.

On July 22, 1940 the airport was converted, under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, as No. 6 Elementary Flying Training School, with a Relief Landing Field located near Hagan.

From March 1941 to 11 November 1942, the station double as No. 6 Air Observer School. The school closed on November 15, 1944. The airport was expanded to its present size and the main runway was paved in 1955. After many years of ownership by Transport Canada the airport was transferred to the City of Prince Albert on March 26, 1996 under the National Airport Policy.

All that remained of the former No. 6 EFTS was one World War II era hangar which Transwest Air operated out of until 2018 when a structure fire resulted in a complete loss of the building.

A monument in front of the terminal building pays tribute to the 17 airmen and one civilian who died in training accidents at the school. The weathervane that is now a sign at the entrance of the airport was once part of the airfield navigational systems.

The airport is now named for Floyd Glass who learned to fly in the 1930s and then served as a military flying training instructor during the Second World War. Postwar, he was the first general manager of the provincial Crown Corporation Saskatchewan Government Airways. He resigned from this post, flew briefly with British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Airways then returned to Saskatchewan. In 1955 he formed his own firm, Athabaska Airways which still exists under the name Transwest Air. Glass died in 2000.