St. Anthony Airport

The airport was rendered obsolete and closed following the construction and opening of the new, modern St. Anthony Airport (IATA: YAY, ICAO: CYAY) in 1998. The original airstrip was a short, gravel runway that was inadequate for the larger, modern aircraft required for reliable scheduled passenger service and critical medical evacuation flights.

The site is completely abandoned and decommissioned. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows a clearly defined but overgrown and decaying former runway. The land is not in any formal use and is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding natural vegetation. It is not maintained and is unusable for aviation.

The original St. Anthony airstrip, built in the 1950s, was a crucial piece of infrastructure for the remote Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. Its primary historical importance was its service to the Grenfell Mission (now Labrador-Grenfell Health). The airstrip provided a vital link for transporting doctors, nurses, medical supplies, and, most importantly, for conducting emergency medevac flights. Before its construction, the region was largely dependent on sea travel, which was slow and often impossible during winter. The airport primarily handled small bush planes and charter aircraft, breaking the region's isolation and saving countless lives.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening this old airstrip. The transportation needs of St. Anthony and the surrounding region are fully and more effectively served by the modern St. Anthony Airport (CYAY), which has a paved runway, navigation aids, and facilities to handle larger aircraft. Reopening the old, smaller site would be economically unfeasible and redundant.