Smithers Airport

The first plane to land near here was a Yukon Airways and Exploration flight back in 1928, touching down at Sproule's Ranch. That field was used for several years. Then, in 1929, the Board of Trade bought the Ed Hill Ranch a few miles south of Smithers and called it the Smithers Aviation Park. It had a 1,200-foot runway and was finished in 1933 with help from the Department of National Defence. Because that spot was a bit small, the Department of National Defence rebuilt the aerodrome right here in 1942.

After the war, it became a civilian airport. The runway got extended to 5,000 feet in 1955, and a new terminal opened in 1970. The town took ownership in 1999. In 2008, the runway was extended again to 7,544 feet to handle larger regional aircraft and even Boeing 737s. The first phase of a terminal expansion was completed in 2018, adding a 150-passenger lounge and improving energy efficiency. More phases of this $8 million project are planned to increase the building space, which used to have a 54-seat capacity. Nav Canada operates a flight service station here, but in 2010, their staffed hours were cut to 13 hours in winter and 16 hours in summer.