Wilkie Airport

Primarily economic reasons. The operational costs, including runway maintenance (grading the gravel surface), snow removal, and liability insurance, likely became too burdensome for the small municipality of Wilkie to justify for the volume of traffic it handled. The decision to decommission the aerodrome and return the land to agricultural use represents a more economically viable use of the property for the community.

The airport is permanently closed and has been fully decommissioned. The land has been converted back to agricultural use and is now part of a cultivated farm field. The physical infrastructure of the airport has been removed. The faint, compacted outline of the former east-west runway is still clearly visible in satellite imagery, as is the aptly named 'Airport Road' which leads to the site from the town.

Wilkie Aerodrome (TC LID: CJC2) was a registered public-use aerodrome that served the town of Wilkie and its surrounding agricultural region. It featured a single gravel runway (08/26) that was approximately 2,500 feet long and 75 feet wide. Its primary operations included:
- **General Aviation:** Supporting local private pilots for recreational and personal travel.
- **Agricultural Aviation:** Serving as a crucial base for crop-dusting aircraft, a vital service in Saskatchewan's grain belt.
- **Business and Charter:** Facilitating occasional charter flights for local businesses and residents.
While it did not have major military or national historical significance (e.g., it was not a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan site), it was an important local transportation link for a rural community before its closure.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Wilkie Airport. The land is now privately owned and used for agriculture. The cost to re-acquire the land, re-establish the necessary infrastructure (runway, lighting, navigation aids), and certify it for use would be substantial. Regional aviation needs are currently met by other nearby airports, such as the one in Unity, SK, and the larger, fully-serviced North Battleford/Cameron McIntosh Airport (CYQW). Therefore, the prospect of reopening is considered extremely low to non-existent.