Lytton Airport

Destruction by wildfire. The Lytton Airport was located directly in the path of the catastrophic Lytton Creek Wildfire, which destroyed approximately 90% of the Village of Lytton. The fire consumed any buildings, navigational aids, and surface infrastructure at the airstrip, rendering it completely unusable. The closure was not due to economic, military, or regulatory reasons but was the direct result of a natural disaster.

The site is completely abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery post-fire confirms the destruction of all structures. The runway outline is still faintly visible but is scorched, damaged, and being reclaimed by post-fire vegetation and erosion. It is unsafe and unusable for any aviation activity. The site is part of the larger disaster area of Lytton, which is undergoing a very slow and complex, multi-year rebuilding process.

The Lytton Airport, also known by its Transport Canada Location Identifier CBT2, was a small registered aerodrome with a single gravel/turf runway (approximately 3,100 feet long). Its operations were primarily focused on general aviation. Its key roles included:

- **General Aviation:** It served private pilots flying for recreation and transportation to the remote Fraser Canyon region.
- **Tourism Support:** The airport facilitated access for tourists participating in local activities like whitewater rafting and exploring the canyon.
- **BC Wildfire Service Base:** Ironically, the airport served as a crucial forward operating and staging base for the BC Wildfire Service. It was used by helicopters and air tankers involved in fighting wildfires in the Fraser Canyon, a historically fire-prone area.

It did not handle any scheduled commercial passenger flights and was a basic facility with minimal services.

There are currently no official or publicly announced plans to rebuild or reopen the Lytton Airport. The immediate and long-term priorities for the Village of Lytton's recovery are focused on essential infrastructure such as housing, water, sewer, power, and basic community facilities. While the airport was a useful asset, its reconstruction is considered a much lower priority. Any future prospect of reopening would depend entirely on the long-term vision of the rebuilt community, available funding, and a renewed needs assessment, making it highly unlikely in the foreseeable future.