Mission & history

WHO WERE WE?

In 1993, the airport building was renamed the John G. Diefenbaker Airport to commemorate Canada’s 13th prime minister and the prime minister from the West. Saskatoon Airport Authority took over operations of the Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport from Transport Canada in 1999. Hitting our stride in the years that followed, we expanded the terminal and increased our passengers to over 1 million in 2007.

WHO ARE WE NOW?

On the heels of a newly expanded air terminal building and after being awarded the Most Improved Airport in North America under 2 million passengers from Airports Council International, we knew that it was the right time to re-brand ourselves.

Like any name, ours has a lot of meaning behind it. We have so many first, middle and last names that sometimes it's hard to know what to call us. Trust us, we know it can be confusing and we want to help clarify things.

Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport - Our Official Airport Name

In 1993, the Saskatoon airport's name was changed to Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker Airport to recognize the home of and to honour our 13th Prime Minister. In 2006, "International" was officially added when the airport received International status. Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport is the legal entity name for the physical location of the Saskatoon airport, representing the land, terminal and other physical assets. To honour this legacy, we prominently display 'Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport' in two areas on the front of our air terminal building. We also celebrate Diefenbaker's birthday each year on September 18 (1895-1979) by handing out treats to our guests and we proudly showcase information on this legacy in our public displays.

Saskatoon Airport Authority - Our Corporate Name & Legal Operator

Saskatoon Airport Authority (SAA) is the legal corporate name of the operator of the airport. SAA is responsible for managing and maintaining the airport.

Skyxe-Our All-Encompassing Brand Name*

Skyxe Saskatoon Airport is our brand name that encompasses both of the above entities. Our brand name represents the entire airport experience, embracing the pride we feel to be from Saskatchewan as well as our unique airport code. Through our brand name, we strive to exceed the expectations of our guests, partners, and community by providing service quality initiatives that meet our vision to be Canada's Most Valued Airport Experience.

Together, we are all Skyxe.

(*Note - Skyxe is not a legal name change, the two entities still exist under the Skyxe umbrella brand).

WHAT DO WE STAND FOR?

Skyxe Saskatoon Airport's vision is to be Canada’s most valued airport experience.

Skyxe's mission outlines our commitment to provide excellence for our customers by:

  • Ensuring excellence in safety and security;
  • Surpassing expectations through a culture of superior customer service;
  • Seamlessly connecting Saskatchewan communities to the world;
  • Operating efficiently with care for the environment; 
  • Successfully partnering with our stakeholders; and
  • Developing and empowering our people.

Our doors are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we want to make our home-away-from-home yours too. Our driveway is more than 3.2 kilometers of runway and thousands of meters of apron. Our backyard is 2,000 acres. And our house is a 238,000 square foot terminal building that hosts over 1.4 million people annually.

With over 40 people helping to keep all of the moving parts of an Airport on track, our Airport facilities are shared by more than 40 businesses and government agencies that employ over 1,460 people and has an economic impact of $1.5 billion.

Community

Community involvement is important to us. In addition to public speaking engagements, we also sponsor a variety of  initiatives that support our community.

If you are looking for sponsorship for your organization, please send us more details on your request to info@skyxe.ca.

How are we doing?

Annual Reports
2021 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report

Facts & Figures

Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport serves the City of Saskatoon, central and northern Saskatchewan, an area containing a population of more than 500,000 people.

Room to Grow

  • Major expansion of Air Terminal Building completed in April 2015
  • Annual passenger capability of 2.0 million passengers
  • Retail and office space available for lease
  • More than 300 acres of land available for development

Low Cost Advantage

The goal of Saskatoon Airport Authority is to become Canada’s premier low cost airport:

  • See our Fees and Charges information by clicking here
  • Landing and terminal user fees among the lowest in Canada
  • No policing, security or turnaround fees

Passenger and Luggage Movement:

  • 34 check-in positions
  • 8 aircraft loading bridges upon construction completion
  • 3 aircraft ground loading positions
  • 3 domestic/2 international modern baggage conveyors
  • Indoor baggage unloading bay
  • Bridges and facilities can accommodate aircraft up to Boeing 747
  • Customs / Immigration facility can process up to 200 passengers (300 with staged deplaning).
  • Dedicated baggage conveyor for international arrivals
  • Service available 24/7

Unofficial Annual Passenger traffic:

Year-Over-Year Comparison

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2019 133,118 129,910 134,313 122,362 117,657 118,499 129,797 128,179 113,547 119,271 116,244 125,913
2020 128,807 127,387 70,144 2,925 4,000 8,735 19,068 23,987 21,241 21,952 16,921 17,413
2021 14,257  9,982 12,154 11,176 12,873 21,725 49,008 75,857 58,275 56,037 53,161 61,210
2022 41,478 47,579 59,345 69,276 83,805 93,106 98,294 97,755 88,145 92,561 89,102 91,605
2023 86,759 89,407 99,469 97,831                

Historical Passenger Growth:

  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Passengers 598,736 682,895 795,850 822,003 814,067 801,079 809,871
  2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Passengers 765,727 760,854 803,541 902,129 953,342 1,035,660 1,135,113
  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Passengers 1,157,393 1,215,923 1,246,405 1,326,838 1,389,875 1,484,615 1,443,446
  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Passengers 1,452,349 1,462,751 1,518,980 1,488,810 462,580 439,927 952,051

Annual Aircraft Movements

  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Movements 86,030 91,258 107,190 110,205 101,718 98,143 96,131
  2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Movements 88,795 76,692 77,185 82,677 87,674 99,378 105,407
  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Movements 93,413 90,762 89,904 89,840 92,913 91,686 95,677
  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Movements 92,857 95,962 97,851 98,884 65,675 82,755 78,842