Flights resume in western Labrador after temporary closure of federally owned airport
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ST. JOHN’S – A federally owned airport in western Labrador was shut down for several days this week after its two firefighting trucks broke down.
It was the third time the Wabush Airport had to shut down in the past 10 months, said Philip Earle, the Liberal member of Parliament for Labrador. The facility serves the busy mining region of Labrador West and it is the third-busiest airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, Earle said.
He called on airport owner Transport Canada to continue its review of the facility and take a careful look at what’s needed to keep it open.
“This should not be happening at any airport in our country, and … having it happen three times is beyond frustrating,” Earle said in an interview. “This is regrettable, it’s unfortunate, and I stand with the people in western Labrador who have been impacted.”
PAL Airlines said Monday that flights in and out of the facility had been grounded because of a lack of available firefighting equipment. The airport is required to have two firefighting vehicles on hand and both broke down in the past few days, Earle said.
With no firefighting services available, the airport could no longer accept flights with more than 19 seats, Earle said.
PAL Airlines said Wednesday morning it had arranged a charter flight to deliver a part which was needed to fix the airport’s equipment. In the meantime, the airline had offered bus transportation to its passengers when possible.
By Wednesday afternoon, PAL said it was resuming flights after the airport resolved its equipment problem. But the company shared some sharp words about the situation on social media.
“We understand this situation is frustrating and unacceptable,” said a post to PAL Airlines’ Facebook page on Tuesday. “We know the significant inconvenience it creates for our passengers, cargo customers, and the community in Labrador West.”
Earle said he felt the same way and he vowed to keep pressing Transport Canada for change. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Labrador West is home to about 10,000 people in the southwest corner of Labrador, near the provincial boundary with Quebec.
The communities closest to the area are Fermont, Que., which is about 20 kilometres southwest, and Churchill Falls, N.L., which is about 200 kilometres to the northeast, in central Labrador.
Earle said the airport was previously shut down in January due to damage caused by an ice storm. He said it was also shut down in October 2025 due to another problem with the facility’s firefighting equipment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2026.