Buchans, CA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-0063
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- ft
CA-NL
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 48.84783° N, -56.838884° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
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Approximately mid-1980s. The airport's closure is directly linked to the cessation of mining operations in the town. The Buchans Mine, the airport's primary user and funder, officially closed in 1984, and the airport ceased to be maintained or used shortly thereafter.
Economic reasons. The Buchans Airport was a private airstrip built, owned, and operated by the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) to service its extensive mining operations. The airport's existence was entirely dependent on the mine. When the mine closed in 1984 due to the depletion of ore bodies, the town's main industry vanished. ASARCO subsequently departed, eliminating the funding and primary purpose for the airport. The resulting sharp decline in the town's population made the airstrip economically unviable for public or community use.
The airport is permanently closed and abandoned. The physical runway is still visible from satellite imagery, but it is unmaintained, overgrown with vegetation, and in a state of significant disrepair. There are no remaining airport buildings, such as a terminal or hangars, at the site. The former airstrip is now used informally by local residents as a recreational trail for activities like walking, ATV riding, and snowmobiling.
The Buchans Airport was a vital piece of infrastructure for the isolated, company-run mining town of Buchans. Its historical significance is tied to several key functions:
1. **Industrial Support:** It was the primary air link for the ASARCO mine, facilitating the transport of company executives, engineers, geologists, and high-priority, time-sensitive parts and equipment.
2. **Medical Lifeline:** In a remote community before modern road improvements, the airport was critical for medical evacuations (medevac). It allowed for the rapid transport of seriously ill or injured patients to larger, better-equipped hospitals in Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, or St. John's.
3. **Community Access:** It provided a connection to the outside world for a town that was, for much of its history, relatively isolated. The airstrip handled charter flights and general aviation traffic related to the community.
The airport featured a single gravel runway and was designed to accommodate rugged STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, such as the de Havilland Beaver and Otter, which were workhorses in remote Canadian regions.
There are no known or credible plans or prospects for reopening the Buchans Airport. The economic and demographic conditions that would justify an airport no longer exist in the town. The cost of restoring the runway, building new infrastructure, and achieving modern certification standards would be prohibitive and without a sustainable business case. The current road network, primarily Route 370, provides adequate transportation links for the community's present-day needs.
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