REGINA, Sask. — Cross-border travel at Regina International Airport continues to grow despite ongoing trade tensions between Canada and the United States.
James Bogusz, president and CEO of the Regina Airport Authority, said passenger numbers travelling between Regina and the United States increased by more than 25 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024.
He said the airport is tracking another two per cent increase in cross-border travel so far in 2026.
Bogusz said the numbers have been stronger than he might have expected, given concerns about Canadians reconsidering travel to the United States.
"We're actually tracking growth, not a big amount of growth, but a small amount of growth in the trans-border segment," he said.
He credits YQR’s success to Saskatchewan's business community, pointing to the number of workers and companies travelling between the province and the United States.
“We have – no doubt – the most pro-growth, pro-opportunity province/city, when it comes to business, and that translates directly into travel demand,” said Bogusz.
Bogusz said Regina's daily United Airlines service to Denver, along with access to Minneapolis, has helped maintain cross-border travel.
He added that business opportunities in areas such as construction and agricultural technology are bringing more people to the province and creating demand for flights.
While cross-border travel continues to grow slowly, Bogusz said airlines are regularly adjusting their schedules based on passenger demand.
He pointed to a significant reduction in demand for flights to Las Vegas over the past few years, while Regina has seen increased demand for flights to Mexican destinations such as Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.
Bogusz said the airport has recorded seven consecutive months of overall passenger growth, but airlines will continue to make decisions based on the number of people using their routes.
“Whether it’s an American coming up to Regina, whether it be a conference or sporting event choosing Regina as a city it wants to host, whether it be even visiting friends and family – all of these things together has helped grow our overall passenger numbers, but also has helped to keep those trans-border numbers very strong,” said Bogusz.
He said supporting flights out of Regina is important to keeping those connections available to Saskatchewan travellers.
"Regardless of whether you're destined to stay there or you want to connect beyond, it's critical that we use our local airport if we want to see it continue to grow."
