The Piney-Pinecreek Border Airport had a unique claim to fame – its runway straddled the border of the US and Canada. But after seven decades of operation, the small airport that sits near Roseau, Minnesota, and Piney, Manitoba, closed for good on Dec. 27.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a news release that the airport “had very low use and faced large maintenance expenses including runway, apron and terminal reconstruction. The international agreement required to operate the airport expire(d) on Dec. 26 and will not be renewed by either airport owner.”

The airport opened in 1953 with a grass runway – a paved runway was added in 1978. It is one of six airports straddling the border, but the only one with a paved runway. It was often used by Americans travelling to Canada to hunt and fish.

Under the international agreement, staff at the airport are allowed to cross between the two countries for their work without going through the typical customs process.

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