![[Replace: Cirrus-owned photo of cargo aircraft on remote mine airstrip]](assets/photos/cargo-ice-runway.jpg)
Aviation Support for Every Stage of a Mining Project
Air transport can be among the highest operating costs and largest schedule risks for a remote Canadian mine. An exploration drill camp requires spot charters and unimproved strip reconnaissance; a bankable feasibility study requires audit-grade aerodrome CAPEX and TP312 compliance pathways; an operating mine requires a disciplined FIFO network carrying hundreds of workers weekly without deadhead waste.
Cirrus integrates aerodrome engineering, carrier procurement, and on-site airport management across every stage of development.
Aviation Requirements Across Mining Stages
Select any stage to review the primary aviation bottlenecks, engineering requirements, and Cirrus operational scope.
01 · Exploration & Scouting
Stage 01 of 06Unpaved strip reconnaissance, seasonal ice strip planning, and short-term utility charter flights (Twin Otter, PC-12, King Air, and rotary lift).
Lack of certified aerodrome data, severe weather volatility, fuel caching limits, and volatile spot-market charter pricing.
Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) strip screening, CARs Dangerous Goods compliance for fuel/core samples, and market-scanned charter procurement.
02 · Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS)
Stage 02 of 06Study-grade aviation logistics chapter, preliminary aerodrome siting, and regional fleet baseline modeling.
Generic seat-mile cost assumptions that miscalculate study OPEX and overlook regional runway length constraints for target airframes.
Authoring the complete aviation study section, preliminary TP312 aerodrome siting, runway orientation wind analysis, and regional carrier capacity models.
03 · Feasibility Study (FS) & Permitting
Stage 03 of 06Bankable aerodrome engineering design, Transport Canada regulatory filings, and long-term workforce logistics modeling.
Lender due diligence on aerodrome capital costs, seasonal weather downtime risks, and uncoordinated multi-jurisdictional permitting.
Full aerodrome design basis (runway length, crosswind limits, lighting, obstacle clearance), CAR 301/302 filing, and detailed FIFO rotation schedules.
04 · Construction Mobilization
Stage 04 of 06High-capacity cargo airbridges, outsized equipment mobilization, temporary airstrip staging, and high-volume trades workforce shifts.
Construction critical path disruption from missed flights, severe payload penalties on soft gravel, and uncoordinated ramp handling.
Boeing penetrometer CBR runway certification (mean − 1σ), fuel farm commissioning under CSA B836, cargo airbridge sequencing, and apron safety procedures.
05 · Sustained Production & FIFO Operations
Stage 05 of 06Continuous FIFO workforce shift rotations, permanent aerodrome management, de-icing operations, and carrier SLA management.
Empty return legs (deadhead waste), flight crew duty-time disruptions, winter weather closures, and unmanaged fuel surcharges.
Deployed certified airport managers, dynamic FIFO roster matching (fewer empty seats), runway friction reporting (CRFI), and carrier contract audit.
06 · Closure & Reclamation
Stage 06 of 06Outbound equipment demobilization airlift, dangerous goods transport, aerodrome decommissioning, and post-closure environmental access.
Long regulatory tails on abandoned aerodromes, liability on legacy fuel facilities, and unbudgeted ad-hoc environmental monitoring flights.
Phased demobilization airlift plan, Transport Canada aerodrome deregistration, NOTAM and chart withdrawal, and structured long-term access charters.
Unpaved strip reconnaissance, seasonal ice strip planning, and short-term utility charter flights (Twin Otter, PC-12, King Air, and rotary lift).
Lack of certified aerodrome data, severe weather volatility, fuel caching limits, and volatile spot-market charter pricing.
Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) strip screening, CARs Dangerous Goods compliance for fuel/core samples, and market-scanned charter procurement.
Study-grade aviation logistics chapter, preliminary aerodrome siting, and regional fleet baseline modeling.
Generic seat-mile cost assumptions that miscalculate study OPEX and overlook regional runway length constraints for target airframes.
Authoring the complete aviation study section, preliminary TP312 aerodrome siting, runway orientation wind analysis, and regional carrier capacity models.
Bankable aerodrome engineering design, Transport Canada regulatory filings, and long-term workforce logistics modeling.
Lender due diligence on aerodrome capital costs, seasonal weather downtime risks, and uncoordinated multi-jurisdictional permitting.
Full aerodrome design basis (runway length, crosswind limits, lighting, obstacle clearance), CAR 301/302 filing, and detailed FIFO rotation schedules.
High-capacity cargo airbridges, outsized equipment mobilization, temporary airstrip staging, and high-volume trades workforce shifts.
Construction critical path disruption from missed flights, severe payload penalties on soft gravel, and uncoordinated ramp handling.
Boeing penetrometer CBR runway certification (mean − 1σ), fuel farm commissioning under CSA B836, cargo airbridge sequencing, and apron safety procedures.
Continuous FIFO workforce shift rotations, permanent aerodrome management, de-icing operations, and carrier SLA management.
Empty return legs (deadhead waste), flight crew duty-time disruptions, winter weather closures, and unmanaged fuel surcharges.
Deployed certified airport managers, dynamic FIFO roster matching (fewer empty seats), runway friction reporting (CRFI), and carrier contract audit.
Outbound equipment demobilization airlift, dangerous goods transport, aerodrome decommissioning, and post-closure environmental access.
Long regulatory tails on abandoned aerodromes, liability on legacy fuel facilities, and unbudgeted ad-hoc environmental monitoring flights.
Phased demobilization airlift plan, Transport Canada aerodrome deregistration, NOTAM and chart withdrawal, and structured long-term access charters.
FIFO Network & Aerodrome Optimization for an Operating Mine
Operational Profile: A remote 450-person hard-rock mine in Northern Canada with no year-round road access, operating 14/14 shift rotations across southern dispatch hubs.
The Challenge: The mine was experiencing a 34% empty seat rate on contracted regional turboprop charters, winter weather delays caused by lack of on-site certified runway friction testing (CRFI), and significant standby labor costs during weather shoulder seasons.
Cirrus Execution: We audited the existing flight schedule against real camp check-in data, restructured the flight routing through Val-d'Or and Montreal with matched Dash 8-400 and ATR 72 equipment, and deployed an on-site aerodrome manager to manage winter runway friction reporting and carrier dispatch coordination.
Core Mining Aviation Services
Structured engineering and operations capabilities delivered across all project phases.
Aerodrome Design & Feasibility
Conceptual design, runway length/orientation optimization, and cost modeling matched to aircraft performance curves and local terrain.
FIFO Architecture & Roster Synchronization
Seat utilization modeling, hub selection, and aircraft scheduling built directly around site workforce rosters to eliminate empty flights.
Runway Geotechnical & CBR Testing
On-site Boeing penetrometer testing and statistical CBR evaluation (mean − 1σ) to certify safe tire pressures and heavy lift payload limits.
Airport Operations Management
Deployment of qualified on-site aerodrome managers for daily operations oversight, runway condition reporting (CRFI), and carrier coordination.
Aviation Fuel Program & QC
Fuel farm commissioning, standard operating procedures, and fuel quality control sampling protocols built to CSA B836 standards.
Regulatory Compliance & CAR Filings
Transport Canada CAR Part III / TP312 compliance, ICAO obstacle limitation surface surveys, and aerodrome registration filings.
The Advantage of Full Lifecycle Continuity
Connecting feasibility study engineering directly to active on-site airport management.
No Re-Onboarding at Every Phase
The team that engineered your feasibility study airstrip specifications is the same team managing your aerodrome and carrier contracts during operations.
Field-Tested Operational Standards
Our recommendations are developed by aviation specialists and airport managers with direct experience in remote northern Canadian aerodromes.
Audit-Grade Financial Estimates
Engineering figures and seat-cost estimates built on actual commercial flight operations data, not theoretical multipliers.