Starting in December, Air North will operate year-round flights connecting Yellowknife, Edmonton and Whitehorse twice each week.
The new route will have the effect of making direct Yellowknife-Whitehorse flights, which are currently seasonal, an all-year feature.
From December 3, 2026, the following flights will operate:
- Monday: Whitehorse-Edmonton-Yellowknife-Whitehorse
- Thursday: Whitehorse-Yellowknife-Edmonton-Whitehorse
The route means Yellowknife will gain a direct flight to Edmonton each Thursday and from Edmonton each Monday. That route is already served daily by Air Canada, WestJet and Canadian North.
Air North said its December schedule changes will also introduce the possibility of weekend trips from Yellowknife to Kelowna or Victoria by connecting in Vancouver on Friday and returning via the same city on Monday.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Direct Air North flights between Yellowknife and Toronto – a route Air Canada says it is scrapping next month – will operate seasonally for a month between early December 2026 and early January 2027, then again for February and most of March 2027.
Ben Ryan, Air North’s chief commercial officer, told Cabin Radio the airline is aiming to better serve NWT residents and businesses.
“The concept is that locals, and we hope particularly people like sports teams, can leave on a Thursday afternoon [for Edmonton], after school or after work, then return on a Monday midday,” Ryan said on Thursday.
“Business people can come in [from Edmonton to Yellowknife or Yellowknife to Whitehorse] on Monday, get in fairly early on a Monday and leave Thursday afternoon.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
“This is really designed to foster business travel between Whitehorse and Yellowknife.”
Ryan said the route is partly a response to demand the airline had noticed for “ad-hoc weekend-oriented flights” that helped sports teams reach events in the south.
The route is year-round with extra flights anticipated over Christmas and in the summer, he said.
“We’re trying to provide more service that appeals to locals and businesspeople in the territory as opposed to just aurora tourism. We’re excited to have a year-round presence,” said Ryan.
