Northwest Staging Route | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Northwest Staging Route

The Northwest Staging Route, an air route from Edmonton, over northwestern Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska, was planned before WWII by Canada, developed and built by Canada and the US between 1940-44.

Northwest Staging Route

The Northwest Staging Route, an air route from Edmonton, over northwestern Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska, was planned before WWII by Canada, developed and built by Canada and the US between 1940-44. Costing about $75 million, it was usable in daylight by 1941, proving invaluable for the support of defence projects in the northwest and for delivering aircraft to Alaska and to the Soviet Union. Major landing fields in Canada included Grande Prairie, Fort St John, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake and Whitehorse. About 450 aircraft per month traversed the route in 1943.