The Cariboo Regional District celebrated today (Thursday) the completion of critical upgrades at the South Cariboo Regional Airport.
Chair of the South Cariboo Regional Airport Commission Al Richmond said the rehabilitation work included reconstructing the subbase and asphalt surfaces of the runway, taxiway, and airside apron, as well as converting to LED lighting for runway edge lights, apron lights, and navigation aids.
Richmond noted that the runway surface had reached the point that Air Ambulance Jets were no longer going to able to use the airport for medical evacuations.
“This work will end that plus there is improved navigations for them and the LED runway lights now make it make it far more advantageous. In fact we probably have the best service in British Columbia right now for Airports I’m told. Right now I think we have the nicest airstrip certainly for the Interior of the Province.”
He said the rehabilitation work was completed on time although there were some delays in the process.
“The controllers for the lights were not in when they were suppose to be in but they have all been installed now and all upgraded. From that point of view it came in on budget but unfortunately while the Airport was open and we were able to do things as the lighting wasn’t able to come into full operation until those new controllers arrived.”
On average there a thousand flights per year served by the South Cariboo Regional Airport, increasing to over 25-hundred flights during years with significant wildfire activity.
The Airport has been operated by the Regional District since 1981.
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