The Kitimat Airpark is receiving over $100,000 in provincial funding as part of a broader investment to improve B.C airports.
On Wednesday, the Province announced that it would provide over $8 million under the BC Air Access Program to 18 airport projects in the province.
Specifically, Kitimat will receive $156,985 to upgrade the safety equipment at the Kitimat Airpark.
According to the Province, the funding will help buihelping with emergency responses, economic development, and tourism.
“The B.C. Air Access Program strengthens local economies and supports good jobs, while improving safety for people living in and travelling through rural and regional communities,” said Transportation and Transit Minister Mike Farnworth. “This program recognizes that smaller airports help connect communities and are essential for the people throughout B.C.”
The funding marks another chapter in the history of the Kitimat Airpark, which was created by aviation enthusiasts in the community back in the 1970s. In 1976, the Kitimat Flying Club was founded with the main aim of developing and sustaining the airpark facility that has become an essential transportation hub and rescue center of the community.
Throughout the years, the airpark has been improved on multiple occasions, receiving upgraded runways, expanded facilities, and finally a complete runway resurface in 2022, with financial aid provided by the B.C. Air Access Program and the District of Kitimat.
The B.C. Air Access Program provides financing for all airports, heliports, and water aerodromes that serve less than one million passengers per year. This initiative of the provincial government has invested more than $80 million since 2017 in improving 83 air facilities in British Columbia.
