Finbow Airport

Economic. The airstrip was built and maintained exclusively to support mineral exploration activities in the highly remote Thutade Lake region. Its closure is directly linked to the suspension or completion of the specific exploration projects it served, which made its continued operation and maintenance economically unviable.

The site is abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery confirms the presence of a single, unpaved runway at the northern end of Thutade Lake. The runway is unmaintained, significantly overgrown with vegetation, and considered unusable for aviation. There are no visible buildings, hangars, or any other infrastructure remaining at the site. The area is remote wilderness, part of the Spatsizi Plateau.

Finbow Airport was a private, remote gravel airstrip that served as a critical logistical hub for mining and exploration companies operating in northern British Columbia. Its sole purpose was to provide air access for personnel, equipment, and supplies to exploration camps in a rugged, roadless wilderness. It was primarily used by companies prospecting for copper and gold deposits in the Stikine Terrane during the 1980s and 1990s. The airport handled small, rugged aircraft (like the DHC-2 Beaver or Cessna 185) capable of operating from short, unimproved strips. It was never a public airport and had no scheduled services.

Extremely low to none. There are no known plans or prospects to reopen the airport. Re-establishing the airstrip would require substantial investment to clear the runway and rebuild infrastructure. Such an investment would only be justified by a new, large-scale economic driver, such as the development of a major mine in the immediate vicinity. No such projects are currently planned, making its reopening highly unlikely.