DIAMONDS: Stornoway ceremony opens airport at Renard mine

QUEBEC – Stornoway Diamond Corp. of Montreal officially opened the Clarence and Abel Swallow Airport on March 25 to service the Renard diamond mine 350 km north of Chibougamau. The ceremony was attended by community members, regional dignitaries and the Renard mine development team.

The airport is named in honour of two elder members of the Swallow family, the original "Tallymen" of the land upon which the Renard mine is located. It will be the access point for all people coming to the site. Goods and services will be delivered to the site via the recently completed Renard Mine Road/Route 167 Extension.

The airport has a 1,497-metre long gravel landing strip with the necessary instrumentation, maintenance facilities and a passenger terminal. It has already been used for more than 400 flights carrying 3,000 passengers. NAV Canada certification for the airport's LNAV assisted landing capacity is expected shortly.

Commercial production at Quebec's first diamond mine is scheduled for Q2 2017. Information is available at StornowayDiamonds.com.