It’s been one year since the Yorkton Regional Airport opened its Popowich Terminal, with its performance exceeding expectations, according to the city. The original airport terminal was built during the Second World War and was used to train pilots, complete with barracks and multiple runways. By 2010, the original facilities were long gone and the terminal building was past its useful life. Instead of demolishing it and closing the airport, city officials voted to rebuild the terminal instead. In early 2024, the project received the green light from city council, and construction at began later that year. “It’s a huge improvement to the City of Yorkton to have that property maintained because that will only continue to grow,” then-mayor Mitch Hippsley told CTV News in March 2024. The development was estimated to cost $2.3 million, with $850,000 coming from airport reserves and the remaining $1.467 million financed through an internal loan from the City of Yorkton. Plans included a pilot lounge, reception desk, six leasable office spaces, an airport superintendent’s office, runway electrical systems, a conference room and other amenities. Despite its price tag, there was no impact assessment conducted. In October 2025, representatives from Yorkton welcomed the public to the Yorkton Regional Airport (YQV) to celebrate the opening of the new building, they named Popowich Terminal. At the event, Michael Eger, Yorkton’s director of planning, building and development, told CTV News it was difficult to quantify the economic impact of such projects. According to Eger, there were a lot of major corporations in the area that had anecdotally stated the airport was an important factor in their decision to locate in Yorkton. “Without the city or the government putting in these types of things, it’s probably not feasible for any entity alone to take on. We’re in competition with other municipalities and areas that offer similar things that we do,” he said, concerning the city’s investment in the infrastructure. Yorkton had high hopes for the project, citing benefits for emergency access, tourism and residents travelling for appointments. In May 2026, the Saskatchewan government announced a $2 million investment in nine community airports, including $138,000 for new approach lights at YQV. Standing inside the main hall of the Popowich Terminal one year after it opened, Coun. Dustin Brears, who was serving on council in 2024, told CTV News he was pleased with the investment. “It’s exceeded expectations. The old terminal was built in World War Two. You could see daylight under the foundation when you were standing inside, and this terminal has been a great addition to the Yorkton Airport,” Brears said. “We have about 15,000 movements at the airport every year.” Aviation data obtained by CTV News from Statistics Canada shows a 2.6 per cent traffic increase, from 6,307 to 6,472 aircraft movements, in the first seven months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. While it is possible that YQV facilitated more movements due to the new services offered, other factors, such as the particularly wet year, may also have played a role in the figures. The City of Yorkton does not yet have financial information covering the first year since the terminal opened, and it remains unclear to what extent the new conference room and office spaces have been utilized. Brears said feedback has been positive. “One real small item is that the old terminal building didn’t even have washrooms that worked,” he said. “Now when pilots come in from a long journey, as well as their passengers, they can come into this building and be comfortable, have coffee, use the washroom and carry on with their business in the city.” For now, it appears the majority of traffic at the Yorkton Regional Airport is limited to pilots and business passengers. The city hopes services can eventually be expanded to include regular commercial flights connecting Yorkton with other communities. “This terminal building gives us the future,” Brears said. “If we can build the capacity of this airport and use this building to its full potential, perhaps we can have a scheduled service where our residents can hop on a plane in Yorkton and go anywhere their heart desires on this planet.” Those ambitious plans will, however, need support beyond city hall. “It’s all up to the businesses that operate out of this airport or potentially other entities to bring that service to Yorkton,” Brears said. “But as a city, we’re absolutely open to the possibility, and we’ll do whatever we can to encourage that and get a scheduled service out of this place.” With files from Sierra D’Souza Butts
