Brazeau Airport

Economic and operational redundancy. Brazeau Airport was a private airstrip built and maintained to serve the nearby Brazeau River Gas Plant. It was closed after its industrial operator (historically Petro-Canada, which was acquired by Suncor Energy) deemed it was no longer required for operations. Factors likely included improved all-weather road access to the remote plant, the increased use of helicopters for specific tasks, and the general cost of maintaining and insuring an airstrip that saw infrequent use.

The site is abandoned and is being reclaimed by nature. Current satellite imagery clearly shows the faint outline of the former north-south runway. However, the surface is completely overgrown with grass, weeds, and small trees, making it unusable for any type of aircraft. There are no buildings or infrastructure remaining on the airstrip itself. The surrounding area remains active with oil and gas infrastructure, including pipelines and well sites, but the airport grounds are derelict.

The airport's significance was entirely industrial, lacking any public or military role. Its primary purpose was to support one of Alberta's key natural gas facilities, the Brazeau River Gas Plant. When active, it handled private charter flights for:
- **Personnel Transport:** Flying in specialized technicians, engineers, and executives, and facilitating crew changes.
- **Light Cargo:** Transporting urgent, high-value parts and equipment to minimize plant downtime.
- **Emergency Services:** Acting as a staging point for medical evacuations (medevac) for injured workers from a remote location.
The runway was approximately 3,000 feet long with a gravel surface, typical for remote industrial strips and suitable for robust STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft like the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Beaver, or smaller twin-engine propeller aircraft.

None. There are no known or published plans to reopen Brazeau Airport. The original industrial justification for its existence is gone, and there is no public or commercial demand for an airport at this specific remote location. The region is adequately served by larger, publicly accessible airports with paved runways and instrument approaches, such as Rocky Mountain House Airport (CYRM), making the significant investment required to restore and certify this remote gravel strip economically unviable.