The Columbia Valley Airport Society hosted its third annual open house and aircraft fly-in event at the Fairmont Airport on September 7.

The event attracted 27 aircraft from across Western Canada and saw a crowd of 370 attendees come through the gates.

“The open house, breakfast and fly-in continues to be a popular event at the Fairmont airport,” said Pascal van Dijk, President, Columbia Valley Airport Society.

“The society and its volunteers are thankful for the community support as we are always looking to educate the public about the airport and its vital importance to the Columbia Valley region. To date in 2024 there have been more than 50 medevac flights and the airport was an important base for many aircraft during the recent wildfire season.”

This year’s event was held in conjunction with an online auction where 40 items were available for bidding.

The items were all generously donated by individuals and businesses from across the Columbia Valley. Between the event and the online auction $7,600 was raised in total.

The funds raised will go towards operating and maintenance expenses at the airport which continue to increase each year.

The Columbia Valley Airport Society would like to thank the airport volunteers, the Lake Windermere & District Lions Club, the Fairmont Lions Club, Angel Flight East Kootenay and the Fairmont Fire Department volunteer members for their support and participation in this year’s event.

Lead image: A view of one of the airplanes that arrived for the annual event at Fairmont Airport Sept. 7. Peter Christensen photos

Columbia Valley Airport Society

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