Old Arctic Bay Airport

The Old Arctic Bay Airport was closed and permanently decommissioned upon the opening of the new, modern Arctic Bay Airport (IATA: YAB, ICAO: CYAB) on January 13, 2011. The primary reason for the replacement was that the old airport was critically undersized and outdated. Its short, unpaved gravel runway (approximately 1,500 ft / 457 m) and location on a narrow spit of land limited it to serving only small, Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft like the DHC-6 Twin Otter. The facility could not be expanded, was subject to challenging crosswinds, and could not accommodate the larger, faster, and more economical aircraft (like the ATR-42 or Boeing 737-200 combi) required to meet the growing needs of the community for passenger service, cargo, and medical evacuations. The new airport was built to modern standards with a much longer runway (5,000 ft / 1,524 m) to improve safety, reliability, and economic capacity for the hamlet.

The site of the Old Arctic Bay Airport is now fully decommissioned for aviation use. The runway, while no longer maintained for aircraft, is still visible on the gravel spit adjacent to the community. It is now primarily used as a local road, providing vehicle access along the spit. There is no remaining aviation infrastructure, such as lighting, navigation aids, or terminal buildings, at the old site. It has been absorbed into the local landscape and informal road network.

For decades, the Old Arctic Bay Airport was the primary and often sole transportation link for the remote Inuit community of Arctic Bay (Ikpiarjuk). It was a vital lifeline, connecting the hamlet to the rest of Nunavut and southern Canada. All essential services depended on it, including the delivery of mail, fresh food, medical supplies, and other critical cargo. It handled all passenger traffic and was the departure point for crucial medevac flights, transporting patients to larger medical centers. Operations were exclusively conducted by rugged STOL aircraft capable of handling the short, unprepared gravel strip. While essential, its limitations were a constant challenge for the community's development and well-being.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the Old Arctic Bay Airport. The significant government investment in the new, far superior Arctic Bay Airport (CYAB) has made the old facility completely obsolete. The old site does not meet modern aviation safety or operational standards, and its physical limitations (short runway, location) cannot be overcome. All aviation needs for the community are now served by the new airport.