Salmo Airport

The closure was primarily due to economic and operational reasons. Like many small general aviation airports in rural Canada, Salmo Airport faced challenges related to high maintenance costs, low traffic volume, and the expense of meeting regulatory standards and liability. With the larger and better-equipped West Kootenay Regional Airport (CYCG) in nearby Castlegar providing scheduled commercial and charter services for the region, maintaining a separate, underutilized airstrip in Salmo was deemed economically unsustainable.

The airport is permanently closed to all air traffic. The site has been successfully repurposed for community recreational use. The former runway is now the home of the Salmo Valley Drag Racing Association (SVDRA), which operates it as a drag strip for sanctioned racing events during the summer months. The facility is commonly referred to as the 'Salmo Airstrip' or 'Salmo Drag Strip'.

Salmo Airport, officially identified by Transport Canada as CBV7 (the ICAO code 'CA-1116' is a non-standard identifier, likely from a third-party database or flight simulator), served as a crucial general aviation facility for the village of Salmo, British Columbia. It featured a single paved runway (15/33) approximately 3,900 feet long. Historically, it was an important asset for the remote community, supporting private aviation, potential charter flights, emergency medical evacuations, and local industries like forestry (for fire suppression and patrols) and mining. While it never hosted major scheduled commercial flights, it was a vital link for transportation and emergency services for many years.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans to reopen Salmo Airport for aviation purposes. The land has been effectively repurposed, and the local community has established a new use for the site. The significant financial investment and regulatory hurdles required to re-certify and operate the facility as an airport, combined with the lack of demonstrated need due to the proximity of Castlegar's airport, make any prospect of reopening extremely unlikely.