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By Adam Berls

yxs

Main runway at YXS nearing end of its lifespan

Mar 15, 2023 | 3:51 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The Prince George Airport is a vital transportation link for our community and the north but a piece of it’s critical infrastructure is nearing the end of its life.

The Prince George airport is home to Canada’s fourth longest commercial runway, allowing for planes of all sizes to land and take off out of YXS. Maintenance and repair is done on a regular basis, but with at some point the runway needs to be fully redone. The current runway was built in 2009, and had an expected life span of 15 to 20 years.

Gordon Duke, president and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority, says that the lifespan has been extended due to the lack of widebody aircraft, but the airport is starting think ahead to when the runway needs a full rehaul.

We’ve been able to push that what we call a runway overlay, which would be taking the existing pavement, milling it down, and then recycling that with additional pavement on top. We’ve been able to push that out, we believe, till 2028. – Gordon Duke, President & CEO, Prince George Airport Authority

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When it comes to cost, there is a big price tag, and the airport will be looking into different government programs to help.

“When we look at the latest estimate, which we did in late 2020, the cost would be around 18 million. As you can imagine, those costs have gone up quite a bit in today’s economy. So we will be looking into various government programs to help offset some of that cost.” – Gordon Duke, President & CEO, Prince George Airport Authority

The runway, which is designated as runway 15/33 at YXS is 11,400 feet long, or nearly 3500 meters. The pavement is specifically designed for aircraft and is not the same used on regular roads.

The runway is critical for any airport, but Duke says that with Prince George’s geographic position, and it’s status as an inland port, the airport will be vital for keeping both passenger and cargo traffic coming to Prince George.