Red Lake Airport (CYRL), Ontario
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Red Lake Airport (CYRL) serves the Red Lake area of northwestern Ontario with a single paved runway long enough to handle a range of business aircraft. Customs clearance is not available onsite; aircraft arriving from outside Canada route to Kenora Airport (CYQK), roughly 80 nautical miles away, for entry processing. The airport's business aviation traffic, as tracked by the FAA, reflects cross-border movements rather than total field activity.
Runways
Red Lake Airport has one paved runway, 08/26, 5,001 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Customs
Red Lake Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Kenora Airport (CYQK), 80 NM away.
Source: CBSA list of airports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Red Lake Airport recorded 2,078 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in June. Cross-border business aviation traffic at CYRL peaks in June and July, with June nearly double the volume of the quieter September and March months.
Cross-border movements to the United States, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month June, 269 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
Red Lake Airport averages 1.6 days above 90°F in July, 31.0 freeze days in January and 2.8 snow days in December. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 75.2°F, and January the coldest, at 9.1°F.
Weather station is on the field. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Alternates
Red Lake Airport has one alternate within 46 NM. The nearest alternate is Pikangikum Airport (CYPM), 45.70 NM north.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at CYRL
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 CYRL.
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
Is customs clearance available at CYRL?
No, Red Lake Airport (CYRL) does not have customs onsite. Aircraft arriving internationally must clear customs at Kenora Airport (CYQK), located approximately 80 nautical miles away. Dispatchers planning cross-border arrivals into Red Lake need to build this diversion into routing and timing. There is no indication in the data that a CANPASS or other alternate clearance arrangement is available directly at the field. Flight plans should treat CYQK as the mandatory first point of entry for this region.
How long is the runway at Red Lake Airport?
Red Lake Airport (CYRL) has a single paved runway, designated 08/26, measuring 5,001 feet long and 150 feet wide. The surface is asphalt. This is the airport's only runway, so all fixed-wing traffic, including business aviation, uses this strip regardless of wind conditions. The length and width combination supports a range of turbine and piston business aircraft operating into this northwestern Ontario airport.
What does business aviation traffic look like at CYRL throughout the year?
Business aviation traffic at Red Lake Airport (CYRL), as tracked by the FAA for cross-border movements, totaled 2,078 operations in 2025. Traffic is not evenly distributed across the year. June recorded the highest monthly count at 269 operations, followed by July at 226. September was the quietest month at 128 operations. Dispatchers should expect noticeably higher volumes at CYRL through the summer months compared to early spring and early fall.
What is the nearest airport to CYRL, and how far away is it?
The nearest airport to Red Lake Airport (CYRL) in the data is Pikangikum Airport, located about 45.7 nautical miles away on a bearing of 352 degrees, placing it nearly due north. This distance is relevant for dispatchers considering alternate airports in the immediate region around Red Lake. Pikangikum sits well outside the customs-clearance radius that applies to CYRL, so it does not substitute for the required customs stop at Kenora Airport (CYQK) on international arrivals.
What winter weather conditions should be expected at Red Lake Airport?
Red Lake Airport (CYRL) experiences sustained cold in the winter months, with January and December each averaging 31 days below freezing according to source climate data. January's average high sits at just 9.1 degrees Fahrenheit, and December averages 14.2 degrees. Snow accumulation of an inch or more occurs on an average of 2.4 days in January and 2.8 days in December. Dispatchers planning winter operations into CYRL should account for extended sub-freezing conditions and periodic snowfall affecting ground operations.