Closer Than You Think
It's never been easier to fly to the Northwest Territories.
Once people make the journey to the Northwest Territories, they are often surprised by how quick and efficient it is. With major airlines offering service to and from Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver, you have many options to fly into Yellowknife. And with the majority of airlines offering connecting flights through Edmonton or Calgary, Yellowknife can be reached in less than a day's travel from many regional centers in Canada and the United States.
The NWT's busiest airport in Yellowknife serves as a connection point for flights into other NWT regional hubs and communities. Inuvik is the hub for flights into the Western Arctic with daily jet service from Yellowknife. Hay River is the hub for the South Slave region. Fort Simpson is the hub for the Dehcho region. And, Norman Wells is the hub for the Sahtu region.Â
There's daily jet service to Yellowknife from many southern destinations, including direct flights from Calgary (2 hours), Edmonton (1.5 hours), Ottawa (4 hours), Toronto (4 hours), Vancouver (2.5 hours) and Whitehorse (1.5 hours). The four airlines with direct flights into the Yellowknife airport are:
- Air Canada (from Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver),
- Air North (from Toronto and Ottawa)Â
- Canadian North (from Edmonton )Â
- Westjet (from Edmonton and Calgary),
Many more NWT airlines offer scheduled or charter service within the NWT to communities, wilderness rivers, national parks, remote fishing lodges and fishing lakes.
Getting Around
With the vast expanse and the varied landscapes of the Northwest Territories, there are plenty of spectacular adventures to choose from. And the process of getting to your destination is all part of the experience! Whether you are driving the legendary Dempster Highway or hopping on a floatplane to a wilderness lodge, you are in for an amazing adventure. A number of local airlines provide scheduled service and charter flights to transport you to the various communities throughout the territory as well as wilderness lodges and other iconic destinations. For those looking to explore our spectacular territory via our road system, several of our larger communities offer car rental services. Canada's Northwest Territories is composed of 33 communities spread over more than one million square kilometres. For more information on the NWT, check our or Road Trip links: