Although it is a small domestic airport, it handles a relatively high number of passengers throughout the year as Churchill is a major destination for ecotourism and scientific research.

The airport was originally part of the Fort Churchill military installation built by the United States Army Air Forces, with the permission of the Canadian government, during the Second World War.

[5] The airport at Fort Churchill later served as a Strategic Air Command base housing the 3949th Air Base Squadron of the 813th Strategic Aerospace Division.

[4] The 9,195-foot (2,803 m) asphalt runway is still maintained and the airport serves as a diversion airport for jet aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 747 or Boeing 777 that are forced to make emergency landings.

[6] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Media related to Churchill Airport at Wikimedia Commons