Resolute Bay Airport (IATA: YRB, ICAO: CYRB) is located at Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut. It is one of the northernmost airfields in Canada to receive scheduled passenger airline service (Grise Fiord Airport, which is served from Resolute, is the northernmost airport with airline service in Canada while Alert Airport is the northernmost airport in Canada and the world).

Resolute Bay Airport.

Airport

The airport has served as a major transportation hub in the Canadian Arctic. Today the airport is an important refuelling stop for aircraft passing through to other places in the high Arctic such as CFS Alert, Eureka and Mould Bay. Unlike some airports in Nunavut, Resolute is equipped with an ILS precision landing system, allowing for large commercial aircraft operations. The VOR/DME is located atop a hill near the airport. The airport is not equipped with radar, however during 2011's Operation Nanook, a temporary radar installation was used for the duration of that exercise.

Proposed expansion

The Royal Canadian Air Force is considering a major expansion of the airport to transform it into a key base for Arctic operations. The expansion would include a 3,000 m (9,843 ft) paved runway, hangars, fuel installations and other infrastructure.

Resolute Bay Airport.

The site would provide logistics for search-and-rescue operations according to a December 2011 briefing from the Arctic Management Office at 1 Canadian Air Division.

Resolute Bay Airport.

Airlines and destinations

Historical passenger airline service

Historically, the airport was served by several airlines operating direct, no-change-of-plane scheduled passenger jet service from such Canadian cities as Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Yellowknife. Airlines included Canadian Airlines, Nordair, Pacific Western and Transair. Jet aircraft operated in the past in scheduled service into the airport included Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 737-200 jetliners. First Air also operated scheduled jet service with Boeing 727-200 as well as with Boeing 727-100 and 737-200 aircraft in the past and presently operates scheduled passenger service into the airport with ATR 42-500 turboprop aircraft.

Resolute Bay Airport.

Nordair was serving Resolute in 1964 with Douglas DC-4 prop aircraft with twice weekly flights from Montreal Dorval Airport via intermediate stops in Fort Chimo (now Kuujjuaq), Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) and Hall Beach. In 1968, Nordair was operating nonstop service from Montreal twice a week with Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation propliners with the southbound Constellation flights to Montreal making an intermediate stop in Frobisher Bay with the airline also operating twice weekly Douglas DC-4 service to Montreal at this time via en route stops in Frobisher Bay and Hall Beach. Pacific Western Airlines was serving Resolute by 1969 with Douglas DC-6B service flown once a week with this flight operating a routing of Edmonton - Yellowknife - Cambridge Bay - Resolute. By 1970, Nordair had introduced Boeing 737-200 jet service direct to Montreal Dorval Airport with three flights a week being operated via a stop in Frobisher Bay.

According to the February 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG), three airlines were flying scheduled passenger jet service into the Resolute Bay Airport at this time: Nordair operating Boeing 737-200 flights twice a week from Montreal Dorval Airport via an intermediate stop in Frobisher Bay, Pacific Western Airlines operating Boeing 727-100 flights twice a week on a routing of Calgary International Airport - Edmonton International Airport - Yellowknife - Resolute, and Transair (Canada) operating Boeing 737-200 flights once a week from Winnipeg via an intermediate stop in Churchill, MB.

The September 15, 1994 OAG lists two airlines flying scheduled jet service into the airport at this time: Canadian Airlines (which formerly operated as CP Air) operating direct Boeing 737-200 flights from Edmonton twice a week and also twice a week direct from Montreal, and First Air operating direct Boeing 727 flights from Ottawa once a week in addition to nonstop 727 flights from Yellowknife once a week. Canadian Airlines flights from Edmonton International Airport made intermediate stops in Yellowknife and Cambridge Bay while its flights from Montreal Dorval Airport made intermediate stops in Iqaluit and Nanisivik. The First Air service from Ottawa also made intermediate stops in Iqaluit and Nanisivik. The OAG indicates that Canadian and First Air were both operating combi aircraft versions of their respective Boeing jets on their flights into the airport with these aircraft being capable of being flown in mixed passenger/freight configuration and also lists local flights into Resolute from Grise Fiord, Nanisivik and Pond Inlet operated by Kenn Borek Air with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter STOL capable turboprop aircraft.

Accidents

On 20 August 2011, First Air Flight 6560, a Boeing 737-200 charter flight transporting eleven passengers from Yellowknife, crashed while approaching the airport. Out of the fifteen people aboard, three passengers survived the crash; the four crew members perished. The extreme magnetic variation in the area was cited as a contributing factor to the crew's errors leading to the crash.

On 12 June 1968, a Fairchild F-27J operated by Great Northern Airways crashed on approach to the airport. There were no fatalities.

On 15 March 1951, an RCAF C-54 crashed on approach. There were no fatalities.

Gallery

Resolute Bay Airport.

Borek Air

Resolute Bay Airport.

Resolute Bay Airport

Resolute Bay Airport.

Runway 35 True

Resolute Bay Airport.

VOR station atop Signal Hill about 1 mile east of the airport

Resolute Bay Airport.

Abandoned building, showing its age

Resolute Bay Airport.

Part of Operation Nanook

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