Stephenville Airport

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Stephenville Airport
Stephenville International Airport
IATA: YJT - ICAO: CYJT
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Stephenville Airport Corporation
Serves Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Elevation AMSL 80 ft (24 m)
Coordinates 48°32′39″N, 058°33′00″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
02/20 3,900 1,189 Asphalt/Concrete
09/27 10,000 3,048 Asphalt

Stephenville Airport (IATA: YJTICAO: CYJT) is an airport located 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) southeast of Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was built by the United States Air Force and operated as Ernest Harmon AFB from 1941-1966.

Contents

In 1941 the United States obtained rights to construct an air force 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 air force base was originally referred to as Stephenville Air Base. However, it was renamed Ernest Harmon Air Force Base on June 23, 1948, in honor of Captain Ernest Emery Harmon. Harmon was a U.S. Army Corps ace who was killed in an air crash in 1933.

On September 1, 1943, the Newfoundland Base Command transferred control of the 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 of 1957, the Strategic Air Command assumed control.

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 KC-97 Stratotanker 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 Airlines (now Air Canada). 1966 saw the closure of the U.S. Air Force Base in Stephenville.

Stephenville Airport in 1963
Stephenville Airport in 1963

The airport is now owned and operated by the local Airport Authority, the Stephenville Airport Corporation Inc. Stephenville Airport was officially designated as an alternate in the Trans Oceanic Plane Stop (TOPS) program on July 23, 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. [1]

On April 1, 1990 the airport was further designated for alternate use, fueling only, by international scheduled air transport and for international general aviation regular use.

In recent years, Stephenville has become a favorite technical stop for international flights on route to Europe.

On September 11, 2001, 8 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. An unwitting participant in Operation Yellow Ribbon, the town managed to host the stranded passengers, which lasted for approximately one week.


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