Two Cariboo Airports are receiving economic support from the province’s BC Air Access Program funding.
The 108 Mile Airport will be getting $2 million dollars towards runway rehabilitation that Cariboo Regional District Electoral Area G Director and Chair of the South Cariboo Airport Commission, Al Richmond, said the current asphalt is more than 30 years old.
“In addition to the $2 million fund we have $1.45 million coming from the Growing Communities Fund which was provided by the BC Government and $890,000 coming from the Communities Works Fund to update the LED lights that will be done during the same time as the resurfacing.”
Richmond added that the runway has reached the end of it’s lifespan and explained the importance of having it  replaced.
“Eventually pilots won’t fly into the airport if it continues to deteriorate the way it is and there is very little we could do about that. One of the main drivers, it’s transportation out of the South Cariboo, but when Air Ambulance comes up they have very strict standards because they’re running jets and you can’t have little pieces of asphalt coming up and going into those jet engines. We know we have to upgrade before they refuse to come in here. Some time’s we’ve had, looking at the average of a year, we were getting at least one medivac a week and sometimes more.”
Richmond noted when work begins the 108 Mile Airport will be closed for at least 8 weeks, August through September.
The Williams Lake Airport also received over $83-thousand dollars for an apron lighting upgrade and two automatic security gates.