Smoky City Airport

Primarily economic reasons tied to the lifecycle of a local industrial project. Airstrips of this nature in northern Alberta are typically built to support specific resource extraction activities, such as oil and gas exploration or forestry. The airport was likely abandoned after the project it served was completed or suspended, making its continued maintenance economically unviable.

The airport is closed and derelict. Recent satellite imagery confirms the site is completely abandoned. The former north-south runway is no longer visible as a distinct clearing and has been reclaimed by nature, now covered with dense shrubs and young trees. It is completely unusable for any aviation purposes. There are no visible buildings or infrastructure remaining.

The airport, informally known as Smoky City Airport, was a private, utilitarian airstrip. Its identifier, CA-0346, is not an official Transport Canada location identifier and likely originated from a non-governmental database. Its purpose was to provide essential air access for personnel, light equipment, and supplies to a remote work site in the Smoky River region. Operations would have been limited to small, rugged charter aircraft capable of using short, unpaved runways, such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-6 Twin Otter, or various Cessna and Piper models. It held no wider public or historical significance beyond its specific industrial function.

Effectively none. There are no known plans or proposals to reopen the airstrip. Given its remote location and advanced state of decay, reactivating the site would require a complete reconstruction, including extensive land clearing and grading. Such an investment would only be conceivable if a new, large-scale industrial project were initiated in the immediate vicinity, and even then, building a new strip might be preferable.