$265,000 aviation study underway to determine improvements needed at Castlegar’s airport

The study will look at various factors, with a view to improving the airport's year-round accessibility.

The study will be conducted in three phases, and is expected to be presented to the City of Castlegar in July or August 2017. — Photo: West Kootenay Regional Airport

The City of Castlegar has recently announced that they have contracted with Jeppesen Aviation, an American aviation consultancy, to conduct a $265,000 Navigation Procedure and Landing Configuration Analysis on the Castlegar-based West Kootenay Regional Airport. The difficult geography, challenging mountainous terrain and low-ceiling weather conditions have often plagued the airport's year-round accessibility.

The study will look at both landing and departure capacity, runway configuration and alignment, runway position and realignment options with a view to improving the airport’s year-round accessibility for incoming and departing flights.

Jeppesen Aviation will also analyze and calculate a new computerized approach that links to geo-spatial satellites.

In a press release, Castlegar Mayor Lawrence Chernoff stated, “We are very excited to hear Jeppesen Aviation, one of the largest aeronautical navigation systems companies in the world, state that navigation advances could be successfully applied to increase the safety and landing reliability at the West Kootenay Regional Airport in all weather conditions.”

Columbia Basin Trust has committed $150,000 and the RDCK $20,000. The remaining $95,000 will be paid by the City of Castlegar out of the airport reserves.

The study will be conducted in three phases by Jeppesen Aviation, with phase two including input from the airlines using the airport and the third phase will get the input of federal air regulators and other officials.

Jeppeson is slated to present the results to the City of Castlegar in July or August of 2017.