Round Hill Airport

The airport was closed due to obsolescence and redundancy. It was a basic, unpaved airstrip built for a specific industrial purpose. As the oil sands industry in the region matured, larger, all-weather, and better-equipped airports were constructed, such as the expansion of Fort McMurray Airport (CYMM) and the development of private industrial aerodromes like Suncor's Firebag Airport (CYFI). The improvement of ground transportation, primarily Highway 63, also reduced the need for small, local airstrips for personnel and cargo transport.

The site is completely abandoned as an aviation facility. Satellite imagery shows the faint but clear outline of the former single gravel runway. There are no remaining airport buildings, lighting, or navigational aids. The land is part of Suncor Energy's active oil sands lease and is surrounded by extensive mining and industrial activity. The former runway area appears to be unused and is slowly being reclaimed by nature, with some vegetation overgrowth.

Round Hill Airport was a private, unregistered aerodrome that played a crucial logistical role in the early development of the Athabasca oil sands. It was primarily used by Suncor Energy (originally Great Canadian Oil Sands) to support its initial operations north of Fort McMurray. The airport facilitated the fly-in/fly-out of essential personnel, technicians, and executives, as well as the transport of urgent, high-value cargo to the remote industrial site before robust road and air infrastructure existed. Its operation was vital for the construction and maintenance of one of Canada's most significant industrial projects in the 1970s and 1980s.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Round Hill Airport. The site has been superseded by far superior aviation infrastructure in the region. Given its state of disrepair, its location within an active industrial mining zone, and the lack of any economic or logistical need, reopening is considered highly improbable. The land is more likely to be consumed by future mining operations or undergo environmental reclamation as part of the mine's lifecycle.