Cormorant Lake Airport

The closure was almost certainly due to economic reasons and redundancy. The primary factors include:
1. **High Maintenance Costs:** Maintaining a remote gravel airstrip, including grading and snow removal, is expensive for a small community.
2. **Alternative Transportation:** The community is served by the Cormorant/Lake Water Aerodrome (CJP6) for floatplane operations in the summer. Additionally, improved all-weather road access (Provincial Road 287) to the nearby town of The Pas, which has a larger, paved, and fully-serviced airport (The Pas Airport, CYQD), reduced the necessity for a local land-based strip.
3. **Decline in Use:** As road access improved and air traffic could be consolidated at the more capable airport in The Pas, usage of the small Cormorant strip likely declined to a point where it was no longer financially sustainable.

The airport site is completely abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery of the coordinates confirms the faint outline of a single runway, which is now heavily overgrown with grass, shrubs, and young trees. There are no visible markings, lighting, or any remaining structures such as hangars or a terminal. The land is not being used for any other purpose and is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding boreal forest. It is completely unusable for any form of aviation.

Cormorant Lake Airport was a crucial piece of infrastructure for the remote northern community of Cormorant, Manitoba. As a gravel airstrip, it provided essential year-round air access for aircraft equipped to handle unprepared surfaces. Its operations primarily consisted of:
- **General Aviation & Charter Flights:** It was used by bush planes for transporting people, mail, and essential supplies like groceries and medicine.
- **Medical Evacuations:** The airstrip was vital for air ambulance services, allowing for rapid medical transport, especially during emergencies.
- **Lifeline during Freeze-up/Thaw:** Its most critical role was during the spring thaw and fall freeze-up periods. During these times, the lake was unsafe for floatplanes and winter ice roads were not yet formed or were melting, making the land-based airstrip the only reliable way in or out of the community.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Cormorant Lake Airport. The transportation needs of the community are adequately met by the seasonal water aerodrome, the regional airport in The Pas, and the road network. The significant cost required to clear the land, rebuild the runway, and establish ongoing maintenance makes any potential reopening economically unfeasible. The airport is considered permanently closed.