Smithers Airport

Smithers Regional Airport
Smithers Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorTown of Smithers
ServesSmithers, Bulkley Valley
LocationSmithers, British Columbia
Time zonePST (UTC−08:00)
 • Summer (DST)PDT (UTC−07:00)
Elevation AMSL1,716 ft / 523 m
Coordinates54°49′31″N 127°10′58″W / 54.82528°N 127.18278°W / 54.82528; -127.18278
Map
CYYD is located in British Columbia
CYYD
CYYD
Location in British Columbia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 7,544 2,299 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft movements9,494

Smithers Airport (IATA: YYD, ICAO: CYYD) is 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) north of Smithers, British Columbia, Canada.

History

A Yukon Airways and Exploration landing at Sproule's Ranch in 1928 was the first airplane arrival in the vicinity. This field was used for several years.

In 1929, the Board of Trade purchased the Ed Hill Ranch a few miles south of Smithers, calling it the Smithers Aviation Park, comprising a 1,200-foot (370 m) runway. With financial assistance from the Department of National Defence, the project was completed in 1933. Owing to size limitations, the Department of National Defence rebuilt at the present location in 1942.[4]

Designated RCAF & D of T Aerodrome - Smithers, British Columbia at 54°49′N 127°09′W / 54.817°N 127.150°W / 54.817; -127.150 with a variation of 29 degrees E and elevation of 1,710 feet (521 m), the aerodrome was listed as having one runway as follows:[5]

Runway name Length Width Surface
14/32 4,400 feet (1,341 m) 200 feet (61 m) Hard surfaced

After the war, the airport transferred to civilian use. In 1955, the runway was extended to 5,000 ft (1,524 m), and a new terminal opened in 1970. The Department of Transport transferred airport ownership to the town in 1999.[6] Previously served by older generation Boeing 737 aircraft from the 1980s, an extension to 7,544 ft (2,299 m) in 2008 accommodates regional aircraft and other airplanes, as large as the Boeing 737.[7]

Completed in 2018, phase one of a four-phase terminal expansion increased energy efficiency and provided a 150-passenger lounge.[8] Formerly with a 54-seating capacity, later phases of the $8m project will increase building space.[9]

As of 2020, runway data are as follows:

Runway name Length Width Surface
15/33 7,544 feet (2,299 m) 150 feet (46 m) Hard surfaced
  • Landing runway 33 in 2007
    Landing runway 33 in 2007

NavCanada

NavCanada operates a Flight Service Station at Smithers Airport. Staffed hours of operations were cut on April 8, 2010 from 24 hours a day to 13 hours in the winter and 16 hours in the summer.

Staffed hours of operation:

  • June 1 - September 30, 1300-0500 UTC
  • October 1 - May 31, 1500-0400 UTC (1400-0300 UTC during daylight saving time)

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air Canada Express Vancouver
Central Mountain Air Vancouver

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ Synoptic/Metstat Station Information
  3. ^ Total aircraft movements by class of operation — NAV CANADA flight service stations
  4. ^ Kruisselbrink 2012, p. 143–149.
  5. ^ Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 2. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 152.
  6. ^ Kruisselbrink 2012, p. 149–151.
  7. ^ "Smithers longer runway, 26 Jan 2009". www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca.
  8. ^ "Smithers Regional Airport". www.studio531.ca.
  9. ^ "Smithers Terminal expansion, 21 Mar 2017". www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca.

References

  • Kruisselbrink, Harry (2012). Smithers – A Railroad Town. Bulkley Valley Historical & Museum Society. ISBN 9780973912326.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smithers Airport.
  • Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Smithers Airport from Nav Canada as available.
  • Smithers Airport
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