Stephenville International Airport

Stephenville Airport (IATA: YJT, ICAO: CYJT) is an airport located 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) south southeast of Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was built by the United States Air Force and operated as Ernest Harmon Air Force Base from 1941 to 1966.

Stephenville Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorStephenville Airport Corporation
LocationStephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Time zoneNST (UTC−03:30)
 • Summer (DST)NDT (UTC−02:30)
Elevation AMSL81 ft / 25 m
Coordinates48°32′40″N 058°33′00″W
Websitewww.cyjt.com
Map
CYJT
Location in Newfoundland and Labrador
CYJT
CYJT (Canada)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 10,011 3,051 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft movements2,164
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[1]
Environment Canada[2]
Movements from Statistics Canada.[3]

The airport serves not only the town of Stephenville, but the city of Corner Brook to the north, and as far south as Port aux Basques, making the total catchment approximately 100,000 people. This region is served through Stephenville Airport by frequent air ambulance flights and charter services.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency who are able to process general aviation with up to 30 passengers.[1]

History

In 1941 the United States obtained rights to construct a United States Army Air Forces base in the St. George's Bay area of Newfoundland. The U.S. 76th Congress approved the 99-year lease and in April 1941, construction began.

The USAAF base was built as Stephenville Air Base. However, after the USAAF became the United States Air Force in 1947, it was renamed Ernest Harmon Air Force Base on June 23, 1948, in honour of Captain Ernest Emery Harmon. Harmon was a US Army Air Corps ace who was killed in an air crash in 1933.

On September 1, 1943, the Newfoundland Base Command transferred control of Harmon Field to the North Atlantic Wing, Air Transport Command. The base became a part of the Northeast Air Command in October, 1950. Then in April 1957, the Strategic Air Command assumed control.

Airport ramp & terminal building

The mandate of the base was to maintain a tanker alert force and its capability to meet and refuel Strategic Air Command jet bombers en route to targets. The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter was employed in this task.

The base was also used as a refueling stop for transatlantic military flights. In addition, Harmon supported three Air Defense Command units. In 1957, the Canadian Department of Transportation constructed an airport terminal to accommodate Trans-Canada Air Lines (now Air Canada). 1966 saw the closure of the U.S. Air Force Base in Stephenville.

The airport is now owned and operated by the local airport authority, the Stephenville Airport Corporation Inc. Stephenville Airport was designated as an alternate in the Trans Oceanic Plane Stop (TOPS) program on 23 July 1970.

Since the late 1990s, Stephenville has been designated as one of five Canadian airports suitable as an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle.[4]

The Stephenville Airport was the major passenger airport for all of western Newfoundland until the early 1990s when provincial government decided to direct more traffic to the Deer Lake Regional Airport. All major carriers used Stephenville such as Air Canada, Eastern Provincial Airways and Canadian Airlines.

In 1970 the airport was designated by international scheduled air transport and for international general aviation regular use.

On February 1, 2018, the Canada Flight Supplement indicated that runway 02/20, which was 3,959 ft (1,207 m) long, had been closed.[1]

In 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport suffered notable cuts to its airline routes.[5][6] In August 2020, Winnipeg Airport Services Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Winnipeg Airports Authority, was contracted to provide airport management and safety management services for the Stephenville Airport.[7][8]

Development plans

The Newfoundland and Labrador government along with the Stephenville Airport Corporation have jointly supported A new management structure at the airport. WASCO, A Winnipeg Airport management services firm is currently managing the airport.

A Route development committee has been formed to research and reach out to airlines that may serve the airport. Currently the group is working with an interested airline to offer all year service within the Atlantic region and beyond.

Operation Yellow Ribbon

On September 11, 2001, eight civilian airliners made unscheduled landings at the Stephenville Airport following the closure of North American airspace in the wake of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. As a participant in Operation Yellow Ribbon, the town managed to host nearly 3,000 stranded passengers for approximately one week.

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air Saint-Pierre Charter: Saint-Pierre[9]
Porter Airlines Seasonal: Toronto–Billy Bishop

Services
Stephenville Airport in 1963
  • Budget Rent a Car
  • Discount Car Rental - (off site)
  • Eddy's bus service
  • DRL Coachlines (passenger bus service to the rest of NL)
  • Airport check-in counter service
  • ATM
  • Ground transportation to and from hotels
  • Passenger lounge
  • Lav, water, ground power, stairs, air start and ground handling equipment available to service aircraft up to a Boeing 747

Alternate space shuttle landing site

Stephenville Airport was one of five sites along eastern North America designated as an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle orbiter during its launches and landings. As of 2011 Space Shuttles are no longer in service.[10]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. Synoptic/Metstat Station Information
  3. Total aircraft movements by class of operation
  4. "Transport Canada NASA Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Site Contingency Plan". March 2006. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  10. Chris Lambie. Halifax possible shuttle pit stop, The Chronicle Herald, July 5, 2006.
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