Namew Lake Airport

The airport was closed for economic reasons following the depletion and shutdown of the mine it was built to serve. Namew Lake Airport was a private aerodrome constructed specifically for the Namew Lake Mine, a nickel-copper mine operated by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited (Hudbay). When the mine's ore reserves were exhausted and it ceased operations in 1993, the airport no longer had a purpose and was subsequently decommissioned.

The airport is permanently closed and abandoned. The site is part of the comprehensive reclamation project for the former Namew Lake Mine. Satellite imagery shows the runway is still clearly visible as a scar on the landscape, but it is unmaintained, overgrown with vegetation, and unusable for aviation. There are no remaining airport facilities or infrastructure. The identifier CA-0255 was a private aerodrome code and is no longer active in any official Canadian aviation publications.

Namew Lake Airport's significance is entirely linked to the Namew Lake Mine, which operated from 1988 to 1993. The airport was a critical piece of infrastructure, enabling a fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) operation for the remote mine site. It facilitated the transport of hundreds of personnel, essential supplies, and equipment. The airport featured a single, substantial gravel runway approximately 1,524 meters (5,000 feet) in length, capable of handling large turboprop aircraft such as the Hawker Siddeley HS 748 and Dash 8, which were commonly used for charter services in the region. Its existence was vital for the economic viability and logistical success of the mining operation during its short but productive lifespan.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Namew Lake Airport. The sole reason for its existence—the Namew Lake Mine—has been permanently closed for three decades. The surrounding area is remote with no other economic drivers that would necessitate an airport of this size. The site has been officially decommissioned and is undergoing environmental reclamation, making any future reactivation highly improbable.