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Dawson City Airport (CYDA) serves the historic Klondike gold-rush town of Dawson City in Yukon, Canada, sitting in the narrow Klondike River valley some 8 nautical miles to the east. It offers a single hard-surfaced runway and operates as an airport of entry, with scheduled Air North service and seasonal charter flights from Fairbanks, making it a distinctive and terrain-influenced destination for visiting pilots.
Dawson City Airport is a public aerodrome operated by the Government of Yukon, situated in the Klondike River valley about 8 nautical miles east of Dawson City itself. It is classified as an airport of entry, with Canada Border Services Agency officers on hand to process arriving traffic, and it has a terminal building serving scheduled and charter flights. For the sim pilot, its appeal lies in the combination of a remote northern setting, gold-rush-era history in the town it serves, and the challenge of operating in and out of a narrow mountain valley.
The airport lies in the Klondike River valley, roughly 8 nautical miles east of the town of Dawson City, Yukon. Large hills rise close to the field, and the valley itself is narrow, a feature that has prompted studies over the years into whether the airport should be relocated or the runway realigned to improve safety margins in the mountainous terrain.
The airport has a single physical runway, 03/21, 5,068 feet long with a hard surface. There is no ILS available.
Communications are on the ATF (Aerodrome Traffic Frequency) of 122.1 MHz, which is mandatory at this uncontrolled field. Whitehorse Radio is reachable via a remote communications outlet on 126.7 MHz, and Airport Radio also operates on 122.1 MHz.
There is no air traffic control tower at Dawson City; traffic is coordinated by pilots using the mandatory ATF of 122.1 MHz. The surrounding high terrain in the narrow Klondike River valley means pilots need to be mindful of the local topography when planning arrivals, departures and any circuit pattern.
Large hills close in on the airport on the approach to runway 03, a feature noted as a striking visual characteristic of the field, and the Klondike River valley itself forms the principal geographic reference for locating and approaching the aerodrome from the town of Dawson City to the west.
The airport is operated by the Government of Yukon and has long served as the aerial gateway to the historic gold-rush town of Dawson City. Its runway was resurfaced with asphalt paving completed in May 2019. The field is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada, with Canada Border Services Agency officers normally able to process aircraft carrying up to fifteen passengers; during the peak summer tourism season the airport is equipped to handle daily Boeing 737 charter flights operating between Dawson City and Fairbanks, Alaska.
Air North operates scheduled services linking Dawson City with Inuvik, Old Crow and Whitehorse, and seasonal charter flights connect the airport with Fairbanks during the summer tourist season. The airport retains its terminal building and its status as an airport of entry, with CBSA officers present to clear arriving international traffic.
