The Anahim Lake Airport received a huge financial boost from the Ministry of Transportation and Transit.
Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Area J Director Tolin Pare said they were given a nearly $1.6 million dollar grant for their apron expansion project.
“This is very exciting news,” Pare said, “the apron at the airport severed us well in the past but now with regular flights from Vancouver and more and more fire activity out West, more room is needed for filling up planes, parking planes and helicopters, and medivacs.”
Pare noted that the plan is to add on to what’s already existing but doubling the size and having more tie downs for airplanes and helicopters.
“It’s going to be a huge benefit for not only the community but for first responders. I believe it was the 80’s when it was first done and it’s served it’s purpose. You take last year when they had the big fires out here at the end of August and September, we had all those aircraft coming in here and it was just a zoo trying to park everyone on the apron and being able to fuel them up and deliver passengers safely.”
Pare said the bid has gone out for tender and the plan is to have the apron expansion completed by the end of September or middle of October this year taking roughly about 2 weeks to do the job.
The Anahim Lake Airport is a very critical structure for the area.
“We are the backup for Bella Coola because quite often planes can’t get into Bella Coola whether it’s Medivac or scheduled flights so we are a huge essential service for them as well. With the Skippers they seem to be using more and more at the Cariboo Fire Centre it’s nice to have the room for all 6 of them to land and be able to fuel up without too much congestion. This expansion will eliminate that hugely.”
Pare said the CRD has been working on this funding for about 2 years and applied for it last year with huge assistance from the Ulkatcho First Nations.
Also receiving a grant from the Ministry of Transportation and Transit was the Quesnel Regional Airport.
It was given $24,234 for a facility master plan.
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