Churchill Airport is located east-southeast
of
Churchill,
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
, Canada. The airport serves the town of Churchill and the surrounding region. Although it is a small domestic airport, it handles a relatively high number of passengers throughout the year as Churchill is a major destination for
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
and scientific research. Churchill Airport also serves as a transfer airport for passengers and cargo travelling between
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
and remote communities in the
Kivalliq Region
The Kivalliq Region (; Inuktitut syllabics: ᑭᕙᓪᓕᖅ) is an Region, administrative List of regions of Nunavut, region of Nunavut, Canada. It consists of the portion of the mainland to the west of Hudson Bay together with Southampton Island ...
of
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...
.
History
The airport was originally part of the Fort Churchill military installation built by the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
, with the permission of the Canadian government, during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Facilities at Fort Churchill supported the Canadian and American operations of the nearby
Churchill Rocket Research Range
The Churchill Rocket Research Range is a Canadian former rocket launch site located outside Churchill, Manitoba. The facility was used by Canada and the United States beginning in 1954 for sub-orbital launches of sounding rockets to study the ...
beginning in the 1950s. The airport at Fort Churchill later served as a
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...
base housing the
3949th Air Base Squadron of the
813th Strategic Aerospace Division.
The asphalt runway is still maintained and the airport serves as a
diversion airport Diversion airports are airports capable of handling a particular ETOPS
The Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards (ETOPS) () are safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for Twinjet, twin-e ...
for jet aircraft up to the size of a
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023.
After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...
or
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
that are forced to make emergency landings.
Airlines and destinations
See also
*
List of airports in Manitoba
This is a list of airports in Manitoba. It includes all Nav Canada certified and registered water and land airports, Aerodrome#Canada, aerodromes and heliports in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Airport nam ...
*
Churchill Water Aerodrome
Churchill Water Aerodrome is located southeast of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.
See also
* List of airports in Manitoba
* Churchill Airport
References
Water_Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from wh ...
*
Port of Churchill
The Port of Churchill is a privately-owned port on Hudson Bay in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Routes from the port connect to the North Atlantic through the Hudson Strait. , the port had four deep-sea berths capable of handling Panamax-size ves ...
*
Churchill station (Manitoba)
Churchill station is a railway station in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. It is served by passenger service Via Rail as well as the Hudson Bay Railway (1997), Hudson Bay Railway freight carrier. The station is located northeast from The Pas, Manitob ...
References
External links
COPA Page about this airporton
COPA's ''Places to Fly'' airport directory
{{authority control
Buildings and structures in Churchill, Manitoba
1940s establishments in Manitoba
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Canada
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in North America
Certified airports in Manitoba
Installations of Strategic Air Command
Airports in Northern Manitoba