Guide
Landing at Gander or Deer Lake
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| If a nonstop existed, from | → Gander (YQX) | → Deer Lake (YDF) | → St. John's (YYT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | ~1h34 · 834 km | ~1h23 · 690 km | ~1h39 · 896 km |
| Montréal | ~2h24 · 1,480 km | ~2h09 · 1,283 km | ~2h33 · 1,605 km |
| Toronto | ~3h03 · 1,984 km | ~2h47 · 1,787 km | ~3h12 · 2,107 km |
| New York | ~2h47 · 1,777 km | ~2h34 · 1,607 km | ~2h53 · 1,854 km |
| Boston | ~2h23 · 1,471 km | ~2h10 · 1,302 km | ~2h29 · 1,550 km |
| Vancouver | ~6h40 · 4,811 km | ~6h25 · 4,614 km | ~6h55 · 5,001 km |
| Seattle | ~6h43 · 4,845 km | ~6h27 · 4,645 km | ~6h57 · 5,032 km |
| Los Angeles | ~7h24 · 5,384 km | ~7h08 · 5,177 km | ~7h36 · 5,540 km |
| Dublin | ~4h47 · 3,340 km | ~5h00 · 3,509 km | ~4h43 · 3,289 km |
| London | ~5h22 · 3,793 km | ~5h35 · 3,966 km | ~5h17 · 3,737 km |
| Paris | ~5h42 · 4,060 km | ~5h56 · 4,239 km | ~5h37 · 3,992 km |
| Lisbon | ~5h19 · 3,756 km | ~5h35 · 3,961 km | ~5h09 · 3,621 km |
Air times are our derivation — great-circle distance at a typical jet cruise plus thirty minutes — not a timetable, and most of these pairs have no nonstop. Vancouver, Seattle and Los Angeles are in the table and not on the map: they sit far outside its frame, and a frame wide enough to reach them shrinks Newfoundland to a speck with the three airports piled on top of each other — so the west coast is placed by the distance instead of the picture. Who flies where, and when, is the airports' own information: ganderairport.com · deerlakeairport.com · stjohnsairport.com.
Times are what a nonstop would take (great-circle at jet cruise, plus 30 minutes) — most of these cities have no nonstop to these airports, and real itineraries connect through Halifax, St. John's, Toronto or Montréal. Who flies where, and when, is the airports' own living information: Gander's flights → Deer Lake's flights → St. John's flights →
Pick the airport from where you are going, not from the fare. Gander and Deer Lake are 308 km apart by road. Gros Morne is 72 km from Deer Lake and 375 km from Gander.
The drives below settle it.
The two airports
Gander International Airport (YQX)
The eastern airport, and the right one for Notre Dame Bay: Twillingate, the Fogo ferry and Lewisporte are all within 115 km.
Directions to Gander International Airport (YQX):Directions →Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze- Lewisporte — 63 km
- Farewell ferry, for Fogo Island — 86 km, then a ferry
- Twillingate — 114 km
- Rocky Harbour and Gros Morne — 375 km
Deer Lake Regional Airport (YDF)
The western airport, and the right one for Gros Morne and the Northern Peninsula. It also has a tourism information page, which Gander does not.
Directions to Deer Lake Regional Airport (YDF):Directions →Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze- Rocky Harbour and Gros Morne — 72 km
- La Scie — 208 km
- Gander airport (YQX) — 308 km
Before you go
These are small airportsMatters most on late arrivals
Neither terminal is staffed around the clock. Book the car before you fly, know which counter you are going to, and assume nothing is open when you land late.
ganderairport.com →Accessible ground transport differs between the twoArrange in advance at either
Here the airports really differ. Gander says there is no accessible ground transportation at the airport for larger mobility aids such as power wheelchairs or scooters. Folding chairs and walkers go in a taxi trunk, and its accessible rental vehicles need about 48 hours' notice. Deer Lake names a local operator with wheelchair-accessible vans and has a separate accessibility page. If a power chair or scooter is coming, that may decide which airport you book.
ganderairport.com →Getting here without a carDaily, year round
DRL runs the island's only scheduled intercity coach. It runs once a day each way between St. John's and the Marine Atlantic terminal at Port aux Basques. It calls at Gander Airport, but in Deer Lake it stops in town, not at the terminal. It reaches no island and no national park. Tickets are bought on the bus, cash only. It crosses Newfoundland but reaches little on this site.
drl-lr.com →MooseYear round, worst between dusk and dawn
From either airport, the drive out is unlit two-lane highway within a few kilometres. The province says the chance of injury in a moose collision is twice as high between dusk and dawn as in daytime. On an evening flight, this matters more than anything else here.
gov.nl.ca →Road conditionsYear round, matters most November–April
Check before you leave the terminal, not once you are on the highway.
511nl.ca →
Questions
Should I fly into Gander or Deer Lake?＋
It depends on where you are going, and the gap is usually large. For Gros Morne, Deer Lake is 72 km and Gander is 375 km. For Twillingate, Gander is 114 km. For the Fogo Island ferry, Gander is 86 km. For La Scie, out on the Baie Verte Peninsula, Deer Lake is 208 km against Gander's 324 km. Pick the airport from the destination, not from the fare.
How far apart are the two airports?＋
308.4 km by road. Keep that in mind before you book a one-way rental or plan both sides of the region in a short trip. The island is bigger than it looks on a map.
Do I need to rent a car?＋
For almost any trip in this region, yes. A daily scheduled coach crosses the island and calls at Gander Airport. But it stops in Deer Lake town, not at that terminal, it runs once a day each way, and it reaches no island and no park. A few towns on this site are on its line (Lewisporte, Clarenville, Grand Falls-Windsor, Port aux Basques); almost everywhere else is off it. Both airports have car rental counters; book the car when you book the flight. The car rental guide lists them with their numbers.
Where do I find current car rental and taxi information?＋
Rental counters, with their numbers, are on the car rental guide. Without a car: the no-car pages for Gander and Deer Lake.
Does accessibility differ between the two airports?＋
Yes. Gander's own site says there is no accessible ground transportation at the airport for larger mobility aids such as power wheelchairs or scooters, though folding wheelchairs and walkers travel in any taxi. Accessible rental vehicles need roughly 48 hours' notice. Deer Lake names an operator running wheelchair-accessible vans, asks for 24 to 48 hours' notice, and has a dedicated accessibility page. Gander's rental counters, with the numbers for that call, are on the car rental guide. If a power chair is coming, look at Deer Lake even for a place nearer Gander.
Is anything open after a late arrival?＋
Neither airport reliably publishes late-evening hours, for the counters or for food. Call your rental company before you fly; the car rental guide has the numbers.
Every figure on this page was checked against its source on August 28, 2026.