NoneCA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-0038
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- ft
CA-BC
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 57.379861° N, -121.411645° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
Keywords: YZC
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The airport was officially delisted from Canadian aviation publications and ceased maintenance between approximately 2016 and 2020. Analysis of historical satellite imagery shows a well-maintained runway in 2016, but by 2020 it is significantly overgrown, indicating it was no longer in use as an active aerodrome.
Economic and logistical reasons. Beatton River Airport was a private airstrip built and operated to serve an adjacent natural gas facility. The closure was a private decision made by the facility's owner/operator. This was likely due to a shift in transportation strategy, such as relying more on ground transport via the nearby road network or using helicopters, which are more versatile for specific site access. As the need for fixed-wing aircraft to transport personnel and supplies diminished, maintaining the airstrip was no longer cost-effective.
The site is permanently closed to all air traffic. The former runway is unmaintained, overgrown with grass and shrubs, and is no longer suitable for aircraft operations. Satellite imagery shows that the strip is now used as an access road and a storage and staging area for vehicles and heavy equipment related to the ongoing operations at the adjacent gas facility. The land is private property and not accessible to the public.
The airport's significance was entirely industrial. It served as a critical transportation link for a remote natural gas plant located in the prolific Montney Formation of northeastern British Columbia. When active, it handled small charter and corporate aircraft (such as the Beechcraft King Air, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, or similar types) capable of operating from a short, gravel runway. These operations were essential for crew changes, transporting specialized technicians, moving light cargo, and providing emergency medical evacuation capability. It was never a public airport and had no scheduled commercial service.
There are no known plans or public prospects for reopening the Beatton River Airport. Reopening would require a significant capital investment to clear, regrade, and resurface the runway, as well as a renewed operational need from the industrial operator. Given that the site has been repurposed for ground support activities, a return to aviation use is highly unlikely.
i was the flight engineer on a c 119 we were based at niagara falls arb new york,,,we left feb 1960,,,about 2 hours from edmonton we had a engine fire,,we landed at beatton river air strip,,it was snow packed,,we spend about a week repairing the engine,,,we returned back to rcaf edmonton and did some more engine work,,after that we contined on to ladd afb alaska,,,,smgt william mcdougall [email protected]
My family lived there from early 1950 until I was old enough to go to school. My father was a mechanic . It was a very interesting place. I remember when the garage burned down and the camp parties that were held in the common rooms. It was at the end of a very muddy road well into the 1980's It was shut down in the early 1970's. When we travelled in and out you had to check in on the open wire telephone system. When we lived there, there were only a couple of homes and a couple of rough dwellings and the majority of the staff were single men.