Conklin Airport

Economic and logistical obsolescence. The airport was a small, unpaved airstrip that became redundant after the construction and opening of the modern Conklin (Leismer) Airport (CFG6), located just 13 km (8 miles) to the west. The new airport was built by energy companies to handle larger aircraft (like the Dash 8) and higher passenger volumes required by the expanding oil sands industry, rendering the older, smaller strip obsolete.

The site is permanently closed to all aviation traffic and has been completely repurposed. Recent satellite imagery shows the former runway is overgrown and is now used as an industrial storage and staging yard. It is occupied by heavy equipment, construction materials, and work vehicles associated with the local energy or construction industries.

The original Conklin Airport (CA-1030) was a vital piece of infrastructure for the early development of the Athabasca oil sands in the Conklin, Alberta region. Its primary function was to support oil and gas exploration and production. Operations consisted almost exclusively of charter flights for fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) workers, transport of light cargo and essential equipment, and facilitating emergency medical evacuations (medevac). Due to its short, unpaved gravel runway, it could only handle smaller, Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capable aircraft such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Cessna Caravan, and Pilatus PC-12.

There are zero known plans or prospects for reopening this airstrip. The region is now well-served by the far superior Conklin (Leismer) Airport (CFG6), which features a 6,500-foot paved runway, modern navigation aids, and a passenger terminal. Reopening the old, unpaved strip would be economically unviable and logistically unnecessary, especially since the land has been converted to industrial use.