Matagami, CA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-0627
-
860 ft
CA-QC
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 49.7534° N, -77.6626° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
Keywords: CTM6
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The exact date of closure is not officially documented in public records. However, the heliport is no longer listed in the Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) and appears to have been abandoned for a significant period, likely sometime in the 2000s or early 2010s. Satellite imagery shows faded ground markings and a lack of any operational infrastructure, indicating it has been inactive for many years.
While no single official reason is cited, the closure was almost certainly due to economic and operational factors. Small, private heliports like this are often tied to specific industrial projects or companies. The closure was likely caused by one or more of the following:
1. **Consolidation of Services**: Helicopter operators likely moved their base of operations to the main, better-equipped Matagami Airport (CYNM), which is located just a few kilometers away and offers fuel, maintenance, and runway access.
2. **End of a Project**: The heliport may have been established to serve a specific mining exploration, forestry, or hydroelectric project that has since concluded.
3. **Economic Viability**: The operator may have ceased operations or found it more cost-effective to use the public airport rather than maintain a separate, private facility.
The site is abandoned and inactive. Analysis of the coordinates (49.7534, -77.6626) on satellite maps shows a cleared, circular area consistent with a former helipad located in an industrial zone on the north side of Matagami. The ground markings are heavily faded and weathered. The area appears unmaintained and is not used for any aviation purposes. The land is essentially a vacant part of an industrial lot.
The Matagami Heliport (CA-0627) was a private heliport that served as a vital logistical hub for the industries of the Nord-du-Québec region. Its primary role was to support helicopter operations for:
- **Mining and Mineral Exploration**: Transporting geologists, surveyors, and equipment to remote exploration sites in the Abitibi greenstone belt, a region rich in mineral deposits.
- **Forestry**: Supporting logging operations, aerial surveying of forest health, and fighting forest fires.
- **Hydroelectric Development**: Providing air support for the construction and maintenance of hydroelectric facilities and power lines in the James Bay region.
Its significance was not as a public transport facility but as a crucial, functional base for the resource-based economy of this remote part of Canada.
There are no known plans or prospects for reopening this heliport. Helicopter operations for the Matagami region are now fully served by the public Matagami Airport (CYNM). Given the superior infrastructure, fueling services, and instrument approaches available at CYNM, there is no practical or economic incentive to re-establish a separate, small heliport at the former CA-0627 location. The site will likely remain abandoned or be redeveloped for other industrial purposes in the future.
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