Mallard Airport

The closure was almost certainly due to economic reasons and abandonment. Small, remote airstrips like Mallard Airport are typically built and maintained to support a specific private enterprise, such as a mining camp, a prospecting operation, or a wilderness/hunting lodge. When the associated activity ceased or no longer required air support, the airstrip was abandoned due to the high cost of maintenance. There is no evidence of closure due to a major accident, environmental issues, or military conversion.

The site is abandoned and unmaintained. Satellite imagery of the coordinates reveals the faint outline of a former runway clearing adjacent to the Yukon River. The strip is significantly overgrown with shrubs and trees and is in an unusable condition, slowly reverting to wilderness. The site is not being used for any other purpose.

Mallard Airport's significance was purely local. It served as a private bush airstrip providing vital air access to a remote location in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The 'CA' in its ICAO identifier (CA-0220) designates Canada, not California. Located on the Yukon River, its operations would have been typical of northern bush flying, handling small, rugged aircraft (like the de Havilland Beaver or Cessna 185) capable of operating from short, unpaved runways. These aircraft would have transported people, fuel, food, and equipment, making the associated enterprise viable in an area with no road access. The airport is representative of the thousands of small, private airstrips that were essential for the exploration and economic development of Canada's North throughout the 20th century.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Mallard Airport. Re-establishing the airstrip would require significant investment to clear vegetation, regrade the surface, and ensure safety. Given its extreme remoteness and the lack of any known economic driver (such as a new major mine or tourist facility) in the immediate vicinity, there is no incentive for its reopening. It is expected to remain abandoned indefinitely.