West Kootenay Regional Airport

The West Kootenay Regional Airport (Castlegar Airport) is a small regional airport located 2 NM south southeast of Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. It serves the West Kootenay region, including Castlegar, Nelson and Trail. It is owned and operated by the City of Castlegar, and has a 15317 sqft passenger terminal.

Due to the mountainous terrain impinging on both runway approaches, there is no possibility of a straight-in approach. The airport is therefore certified for day operations only, and the glideslope on approach is set to a steep 5.0° rather than the standard 3.0°. The instrument approaches to Castlegar are considered among the most challenging of any in use at a commercial airport in North America.

In 2006, Castlegar airport was developing departure procedures for night time operation, but as of 2010 the airport was certified for daytime operation only. A $1 million programme installed six beacons on the hills of the Columbia Valley that allow night-time take offs from the airport. It is expected that this will only be used by air ambulances and medical traffic.

Central Mountain Air began service to the airport in October 2020 using Beechcraft 1900D aircraft. On June 14, 2021, Central Mountain Air announced they would suspend service on July 5, 2021.

In May 2021, Air Canada announced they will be using 78 passenger De Havilland Dash-8-400s when they resume service following route suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The customs at CBSA officers at this airport can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers.