Minto Airport

Economic reasons directly tied to the Minto Mine. The airport was a private aerodrome built and maintained to support the fly-in/fly-out operations of the remote copper-gold mine. In May 2023, the mine's operator, Minto Metals Corp., faced financial insolvency, entered receivership, and ceased all operations. With the mine's closure, the airport lost its sole purpose, and all funding and personnel for its maintenance and operation were withdrawn.

The airport is abandoned and unmaintained. Following the mine's abandonment by Minto Metals Corp., the entire site, including the airstrip, was placed under the care and control of the Yukon Government's Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. The government's immediate priority is environmental stabilization and site security, not transportation. The runway is considered closed and unsafe for aircraft operations.

The airport's significance was purely logistical and industrial, not public. It was a critical piece of infrastructure for the Minto Mine, which began production in 2007. The 3,500-foot gravel airstrip was essential for:
- **Personnel Transport:** It facilitated the fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) schedule for hundreds of mine workers, using charter aircraft from Whitehorse and other communities.
- **Supply Chain:** It was used to fly in urgent supplies, parts, and equipment necessary for the mine's continuous operation.
- **Emergency Services:** It was the primary point for emergency medical evacuations (medevac) from the remote mine site, providing a lifeline for worker health and safety.
Operations were typically handled by Yukon-based charter airlines using STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) capable aircraft like the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Cessna 208 Caravan, and Beechcraft King Air.

There are no immediate plans or prospects for reopening the airport. Its future is entirely contingent on the future of the Minto Mine. For the airport to become operational again, a new company would need to purchase the mine's assets out of receivership and invest the significant capital required to restart mining operations. If that were to happen, the new operator would almost certainly need to refurbish and recertify the airstrip to support their workforce. As of now, the mine remains in long-term care and maintenance under government oversight, making any prospect of the airport reopening highly unlikely in the near to medium term.