Departure
88%
vs 95% ▼ 7
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Boundary Bay Airport (CZBB), also known as Vancouver/Boundary Bay Airport, is a busy general aviation reliever field in Delta, British Columbia, just southeast of Vancouver International Airport. Home to a full-service FBO, extensive flight training and maintenance operations, it is regularly cited as one of the busiest airports in Canada by aircraft movements, making it a lively and rewarding destination for the VFR sim pilot.
Boundary Bay Airport sits beside its namesake bay in Delta, British Columbia, a short hop southeast of Vancouver International Airport. Operated by Alpha Aviation Inc. under lease from the City of Delta, it functions primarily as a general aviation reliever airport, hosting flight training schools, aircraft maintenance operations and a fixed-base operation serving corporate and private traffic. Its combination of controlled airspace, multiple hard-surfaced runways and a genuinely interesting wartime history make it an engaging field to fly into on the simulator.
The airport lies beside Boundary Bay and about 2.5 nautical miles east of Ladner in Delta, British Columbia, roughly 8.5 nautical miles south-southeast of Vancouver, and close to the Point Roberts-Boundary Bay border crossing with the United States. It is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada, with Canada Border Services Agency officers available on call for aircraft carrying no more than 15 passengers. Traffic below 2000 feet ASL is worked on the mandatory frequency, while traffic above that level falls under Vancouver Terminal control, reflecting the airport's position beneath the Vancouver terminal airspace structure.
Boundary Bay has two paired hard-surfaced runways, both lit. Runway 07/25 is 5,599 feet in the 07 direction and 5,001 feet in the 25 direction. Runway 13/31 is 4,730 feet in the 13 direction and 5,590 feet in the 31 direction. Field elevation is 3 feet. There is no ILS approach.
Boundary Bay is served by a range of frequencies. The aerodrome/departure frequency is 132.3 MHz, with Vancouver Arrival/Departure also on this. ATIS broadcasts on 125.5 MHz, and Ground is worked on 124.3 MHz. Below 2000 feet ASL the mandatory frequency is 118.1 MHz, worked as Bay Traffic; above 2000 feet ASL, traffic is worked by Vancouver Terminal on 125.2 MHz. Bay Tower operates as the Inner tower on 118.1 MHz up to 2000 feet ASL, and as the Outer tower on 127.6 MHz, also up to 2000 feet ASL. Unicom, known as Bay Fuel, is available on 122.95 MHz during fuelling hours of 0700 to 1930 local time.
Pilots are reminded to adhere to all published noise restrictions when operating at Boundary Bay. Traffic below 2000 feet ASL is worked on the mandatory frequency as Bay Traffic, while Bay Tower provides an inner and outer service up to the same 2000 foot ceiling, with control transferring between the two published frequencies.
The airport's position beside Boundary Bay itself, together with the town of Ladner roughly 2.5 nautical miles to the west, provide the principal visual references for pilots inbound from the Vancouver area. The nearby Point Roberts-Boundary Bay border crossing with the United States is also a useful landmark given the airport's proximity to the international boundary.
The airfield began life in 1941 as Canadian Forces Station Ladner, built to train Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Air Force pilots during the Second World War; more than 6,000 students and personnel passed through the station, and operational squadrons flew from Boundary Bay on air defence duties against a potential Japanese invasion until early 1944. The airfield was decommissioned by the RCAF in 1946 after serving as a demobilization centre for returning troops. In the late 1940s it was taken over by the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals as the Vancouver Wireless Station, monitoring Soviet military communications through the height of the Cold War, before closing in 1971 when nearby power lines interfered with signals collection. The site was then used informally for community events until Transport Canada reactivated it as a general aviation reliever airport for Vancouver International, reopening two of the three runways on 11 July 1983 with a new control tower. Ownership passed to the City of Delta for a nominal fee, and in December 2004 Alpha Aviation took over development of the airport, subsequently investing in runway extensions, PAPI lighting and new fuel facilities, including a major extension of runway 07/25 completed at the end of 2024.
Boundary Bay today serves mostly general aviation, with facilities for aircraft maintenance, flight training and parking, and was ranked the busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements in 2020 and 2021. Alpha Aviation operates a full-service fixed-base operation supporting business, corporate and general aviation customers, and the field is classified as an airport of entry, with customs available on call for smaller aircraft during published hours. Fuel is available through the Bay Fuel Unicom service on 122.95 MHz between 0700 and 1930 local time, and the airport is open around the clock, though the main terminal is open to the public only from 0700 to 2000 local, seven days a week.
