Officials Hope To Lengthen Runway At Northern Saskatchewan Airport To 5,000 Feet

West Wind Aviation supports the call of the northern Saskatchewan community of Fond du Lac for improvements to the Fond du Lac airport. West Wind Aviation operates into the community with its subsidiaries West Wind and Transwest Air.

At the center of the issue are shorter runways at the northern Saskatchewan airports of Fond du Lac and Wollaston. The government of Saskatchewan has invested in these airports, uniquely engineering the base structure then treating and maintaining the airfield with a graded aggregate seal to improve aircraft take off and landing performance.

"We work closely with our regulator to ensure we are following the most up-to-date practices and guidance for the unique aspects of northern airfields such as Fond du Lac and Wollaston" said Michael Rodyniuk, president and CEO of West Wind Aviation.

"We always operate with safety as our priority. It is currently cost prohibitive to fly large aircraft into the community, because we can only fly a handful of people out," said Rodyniuk. The proposed improvements to Fond du Lac airfield would remove some of the unique issues created by the shorter runways.

The community of Fond du Lac is asking for runway upgrades, lengthening the runway to 5,000 feet from 3,800 feet and widening to 150 feet from 75 feet. Rodyniuk supports the initiative. "If the runway were lengthened by just 1,200 feet and widened it would greatly improve the ability for all carriers to serve these growing northern communities with larger aircraft needed to meet the demand."

Similar airports in northern Saskatchewan have 5,000-foot treated runways, including Stony Rapids and Buffalo Narrows.

West Wind Aviation Group includes West Wind Aviation, Transwest Air, Northern Shield Helicopters, Snowbird Aviation Services and Pronto Airways. Through its group of companies West Wind Aviation Group provides air transportation services to remote, regional Canadian locations, with scheduled, charter and customized solutions.

(Source: West Wind Aviation news release)

FMI: www.westwindaviation.ca