NoneCA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-0344
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- ft
CA-SK
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 53.483334° N, -104.800003° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
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The exact date is unknown, but evidence from historical satellite imagery indicates the airport was closed and the land was converted to agricultural use sometime between 2011 and 2017. Imagery from 2011 shows a clear, maintained grass airstrip, while by 2017, the area had been fully integrated into the surrounding cultivated farmland.
The primary reason for closure appears to be economic, specifically a change in land use. The airport site was reclaimed for agricultural purposes, a common fate for small, privately-owned airstrips in rural areas when they are no longer needed by the owner or the land becomes more valuable for farming.
The site is currently used as active agricultural farmland. High-resolution satellite imagery shows the former north-south runway has been plowed over and is now part of a larger cultivated field. There are no remaining signs of airport infrastructure such as hangars, buildings, or runway markings.
Smeaton Airport was a small, private aerodrome, not a public commercial airport. Its historical significance was localized, likely serving one or more of the following functions:
- **Agricultural Aviation:** Serving as a base for crop-dusting or spraying aircraft, a vital service in this heavily agricultural region of Saskatchewan.
- **Private Recreational Flying:** Used by a private owner for personal aircraft and recreational flights.
- **Local Charter/Utility:** Potentially used for light charter flights or to support local industries such as logging or wilderness outfitting in the nearby provincial forests.
It did not handle scheduled passenger flights or have any known military significance. Its operations were characteristic of a small, rural airstrip supporting the local economy and private aviation needs.
There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Smeaton Airport. The land has been fully repurposed for agriculture, and re-establishing an airport would require significant investment to acquire the land and rebuild infrastructure, for which there is no apparent demand.
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