Iqaluit Airport (CYFB), Nunavut
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Iqaluit Airport (CYFB) serves as the principal aviation hub for Nunavut, situated roughly 1,220 nautical miles from the nearest major metro area. Its single paved runway and airport-of-entry status support a mix of business aviation and other traffic, with FAA TFMSC data showing cross-border business aviation operations distributed fairly evenly across the year at this Canadian facility.
Runways
Iqaluit Airport has one paved runway, 16/34, 8,605 ft long and 200 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Customs
Iqaluit Airport has Canada Border Services Agency clearance available onsite, under a restricted regime rather than general clearance. The terms that apply to a given flight must be confirmed before departure.
Source: CBSA list of airports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Iqaluit Airport recorded 5,088 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in June, July, September and October.
Cross-border movements to the United States, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month October, 508 movements in 2025.
FAA TFMSC records a movement outside the United States only when the flight enters US airspace. This is cross-border traffic, not total activity at the airfield.
Source: FAA TFMSC, cross-border movements, 2025.
Climate
Iqaluit Airport averages 31.0 freeze days in January and 1.6 snow days in April. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 53.6°F, and February the coldest, at -9.2°F.
Weather station is on the field. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Alternates
Iqaluit Airport has one alternate within 66 NM. The nearest alternate is Kimmirut Airport (CYLC), 65.15 NM southwest.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at CYFB
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at CYFB.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What customs arrangement applies at CYFB?
Iqaluit Airport operates as an airport of entry with customs onsite, coded AOE/15. That designation caps clearance at fifteen persons per aircraft. Dispatchers arranging international arrivals need to confirm passenger and crew counts stay within that limit before filing. CYFB is the identifier to use when coordinating this clearance with handlers or authorities. No separate CANPASS provision is indicated for this facility.
How long is the runway at Iqaluit Airport?
Iqaluit Airport has a single paved runway, 16/34, measuring 8,605 feet long and 200 feet wide with an asphalt surface. This length places CYFB among the longer runways serving the Canadian Arctic, capable of handling a wide range of business and cargo aircraft. The field elevation is 110 feet. With only one runway, wind orientation on any given day determines the operational strip in use, so crews should review current conditions before planning approach and departure.
What does bizav traffic look like across the year at CYFB?
Business aviation operations at CYFB, per FAA TFMSC data for 2025, ranged from a low of 326 in December to a high of 508 in October. Monthly counts stayed generally between 330 and 510 throughout the year, without a single dominant peak season. Iqaluit Airport handled roughly 5,088 business aviation operations against a total of 14,357 annual operations that year. Dispatchers can expect comparable traffic levels in most months rather than a sharp seasonal swing.
How cold does it get at Iqaluit Airport, and does that affect planning?
Iqaluit Airport sees extended periods below freezing, with an estimated 31 days below 32°F in January, per the source climate data, and similarly high counts in February, March, April, November, and December. Snow accumulation of an inch or more is also estimated on multiple days in most winter months. Average high temperatures do not climb above freezing until May. Crews operating into CYFB during these months should plan for sustained cold-weather ground handling and de-icing considerations.
What is the nearest airport to CYFB, and how far is it?
Kimmirut Airport lies 65.15 nautical miles from Iqaluit Airport on a bearing of 214 degrees. This distance is a relevant reference for crews considering alternates in the region around CYFB, given the sparse airport network across Nunavut. Iqaluit Airport itself remains the primary hub for the area, supported by its paved 8,605-foot runway. Diversion planning in this part of the Arctic should account for the wide spacing between facilities.