Ketza River Airport

Economic. The airport was a private airstrip built and operated exclusively to support the Ketza River Gold Mine. When the mine, operated by Canamax Resources, suspended operations in September 1990 due to low gold prices and metallurgical challenges, the airstrip no longer had a purpose and was subsequently closed and abandoned.

The airport is abandoned and unmaintained. Satellite imagery shows the gravel runway is still clearly visible but is being encroached upon by vegetation and shows signs of erosion. It is completely unusable for aviation. The site is part of the larger Ketza River Mine property, which is currently held by Scorpio Gold Corporation and is in a long-term state of 'care and maintenance' and environmental reclamation. The airstrip itself has no current use.

The Ketza River Airport was a critical logistical asset for the Ketza River Gold Mine, which operated from 1988 to 1990. Its sole purpose was to provide air access to the remote mine site in the Pelly Mountains of Yukon. Operations primarily consisted of charter flights carrying personnel for fly-in/fly-out rotations, as well as transporting essential supplies, mail, and urgent equipment. The airport likely handled rugged, STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) capable aircraft, such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and DHC-2 Beaver, which are common for servicing remote Canadian mining operations with gravel runways.

Extremely low to none. Any prospect for reopening is entirely contingent on a future decision to restart full-scale operations at the Ketza River Mine. While the property owner has conducted exploration in the region, there are no active, publicly-stated plans to recommission the mine. Given the significant cost to refurbish the runway and the long-term focus on environmental management of the closed mine site, reopening the airport is not considered a viable or planned prospect.