Embarras Airport

Economic reasons and lack of use. A 2021 report by the RMWB council cited that the aerodrome had not been maintained by the municipality for several years, there were no records of recent use, and no communities relied on it for primary access. The decommissioning was a formal measure to eliminate the liability and cost associated with maintaining an unused and uncertified airstrip.

The airport is permanently closed and unmaintained. The physical site still exists as a cleared strip of land in the forest. Satellite imagery shows the 3,000-foot gravel runway (oriented 15/33) remains visible but is deteriorating and becoming overgrown with vegetation. It is no longer a registered aerodrome and receives no maintenance or services, making it unsafe and unsuitable for aviation use.

Embarras Airport, identified by the Transport Canada Location Identifier CEM2, was a remote, uncertified gravel airstrip. Its primary function was to provide air access to a sparsely populated area of Northern Alberta. It primarily handled general aviation and charter aircraft (bush planes). Operations included supporting resource exploration (oil, gas, forestry), transportation for trapping and outfitting lodges, and serving as a potential landing site for emergency services such as air ambulance (medevac) and forest fire suppression crews. For many years, it was a key piece of infrastructure for accessing the remote wilderness around the Embarras River and Athabasca River.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Embarras Airport. The official decommissioning by the regional government was based on a lack of demand and utility, and these conditions have not changed. The airport is considered permanently closed.