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Deer Lake Regional Airport (CYDF) serves western Newfoundland from a site a few miles north-northeast of Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the gateway airport for Gros Morne National Park and Corner Brook. A single long asphalt runway with an ILS makes it an interesting and useful destination for simulator pilots flying regional airliner or general aviation types into Atlantic Canada.
Deer Lake Regional Airport lies in western Newfoundland and is operated by the Deer Lake Regional Airport Authority. It is the second-busiest airport in Newfoundland after St John's International, handling scheduled jet and turboprop services, and is the closest airport to Gros Morne National Park and the city of Corner Brook. For a simulator pilot it offers a long, well-equipped runway with an ILS in an otherwise remote and scenic part of the island, making it a good staging point for flights around the west coast of Newfoundland.
The airport is located about 3 nautical miles north-northeast of the town of Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, within the Gander Flight Information Region. It serves a wide catchment area of western Newfoundland stretching from the Great Northern Peninsula down to Channel-Port aux Basques, and is the nearest airport to Gros Morne National Park and Corner Brook.
Deer Lake has a single physical runway, 07/25, 7,999 feet long with a hard surface and runway lighting. An ILS is provided for runway 25, giving instrument approach capability into the field. Field elevation is 56 feet.
Gander Centre provides area control on 134.6 MHz. A flight service station operates on 122.2 MHz, which also serves as the mandatory frequency (MF) for the aerodrome. A remote communications outlet for Halifax Radio is available on 126.7 MHz. Pilots should expect to work Gander FSS on 122.2 MHz for circuit and traffic information in the Deer Lake area.
Deer Lake Airport has its origins in the early 1950s: construction began in 1953, and by the autumn of 1955 a 4,000-foot gravel strip was in operation. The runway was extended to 5,000 feet in 1959 and paved in 1963. Eastern Provincial Airways introduced jet service using Boeing 737-200 aircraft in July 1969, marking the airport's transition into a significant regional hub. A new terminal building was built between 1990 and 1991, reflecting the airport's continued growth to serve the western side of the island.
Deer Lake Regional Airport is run by the Deer Lake Regional Airport Authority and today ranks as the second-busiest airport in Newfoundland, handling around 300,000 passengers a year on services connecting to hubs such as Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and seasonal destinations including Calgary and Cancun. Avgas is available at the field, and ground handling and fuelling support is provided by fixed-base operators including Nalair, Allied Aviation Services, Menzies Aviation and Woodward Aviation. The airport is equipped with deicing facilities and, during select months, offers customs and border services for arriving international flights.
