YQR says more than 23,000 have flown from Regina to U.S. destinations this year

WATCH: Despite some Canadians avoiding American travel due to tariffs, transborder flights at the Regina Airport are up so far. Wayne Mantyka explains.

Despite some Canadians avoiding travel to the United States due to the ongoing trade war, the Regina Airport Authority says it is pleased with 2025 numbers so far.

According to the airport authority, more than 23,000 passengers have taken advantage of direct flights from Regina to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Orlando and Minneapolis.

Regina Airport Authority CEO James Bogusz said he was not surprised by the numbers.

A total of 23,607 transborder passengers used the Regina airport during the first three months of 2025, that’s about 9,000 more than the same time period last year.

Much of it is being attributed to a new direct flight to Minneapolis, which added 14,000 seats.

“Last year in the same time period we did not have the daily non-stop flight into Minneapolis. That’s going to make a considerable difference in terms of demand,” Bogusz said.

The latest travel numbers were released at the airport authority’s annual meeting.

“We also have to keep in mind that our economy is built on things like doing business, so perhaps you might reconsider doing a vacation, maybe you’ll do something in Canada instead of the U.S., but if you are doing a business deal, you are probably still flying [to the U.S.], Bogusz said.

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For many travellers, flying into an American hub is not their end destination.

“But certainly, having an opportunity to get to an important international hub like Minneapolis allows you to connect to so many other destinations which allows you to do business so much easier,” consultant Lance Donison said. “It also allows people to get into the province easier whether they’re coming from Florida - like we know we’ve got a company like Mosaic that can get back and forth to Regina much easier being able to access a major hub like Minneapolis.”

Regina’s airport will continue to grow during the trade uncertainty. Next month even more seats are being added to the U.S. through new service to Denver.