Greater Moncton International Airport

Greater Moncton International Airport (French: Aéroport international du Grand Moncton) or Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport (IATA: YQM, ICAO: CYQM) is located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) east northeast (about 10 minutes) from downtown Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada in the neighbouring city of Dieppe.

The GMIA is undergoing rapid growth. Between 1997 and 2006 passenger traffic has increased 133% to the current (2006) figure of 558,513. The cargo aspect of the airport increased 73% during that period to reach the current (2006) figure of 24,320 metric tonnes.

History

On January 11, 1928, the first scheduled air flight out of the Greater Moncton area took place. This flight was carrying mail and passengers to the Magdalen Islands. Two sites were considered for the first air strip. Leger's Corner was finally chosen however because of more favourable landing conditions.

The Moncton Airstrip in 1929

In 1929, a local private company bought the land at Léger’s Corner airstrip and through the years two runways were constructed as well as structures for aircraft maintenance. It was also in 1929 that the Moncton Aero Club was founded, as well as the International Airways Flying School. These would later become the Moncton Flight College, one of the pre-eminent flight schools in Canada. Also in the same year, the airport expanded its air mail service to include Prince Edward Island and Montreal.

In 1936, Transport Canada and the local government discussed the possibility of the construction of an airport suitable for trans-Canadian routes. The Léger’s Corner site unfortunately was unsuitable for expansion and instead they chose a site in nearby Lakeburn as the new site for the airport. An initial paved runway and two additional dirt landing strips were constructed.

In March of 1940, the Department of National Defence opened a flight training school under the auspices of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The school would train war pilots for the Commonwealth nations. A new hangar was also constructed at the airport during the war to serve as a repair and maintenance facility.

During the 1940s, civilian air services expanded and became available servicing Montreal, Halifax, Charlottetown, Sydney, Saint John, Fredericton and Newfoundland. The hangar of Trans-Canada Airlines (later Air Canada), became the location for the first air terminal. In 1952, a larger hangar was converted into a modern air terminal but it was very shortly thereafter destroyed by fire. In 1953, a replacement air terminal was constructed.

Further expansion in 1964 brought many changes to the airport including an air traffic control tower and a new operations building. In 1976, the air terminal was again expanded.

Throughout the years, many ongoing renovations were made to the air terminal building, including in 1998-99, an international arrivals area to suit the needs of 1999's Eighth Sommet de la Francophonie. A large landing apron was constructed at the same time at the opposite side of the airport in a location which would later become the site of the new international airport terminal. This landing apron would be pressed into service in a dramatic manner on September 11th, 2001 when airspace over North America was shut down following the World Trade Centre attacks. A dozen flights with over 2,000 passengers were diverted to the Greater Moncton Airport.

The new air terminal was completed in 2002

In May of 2001, the new, state-of-the-art international air terminal was completed and officially opened in 2002 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Greater Moncton International Airport is now the busiest airport in New Brunswick, servicing more than 558,000 passengers per year (more than all the other airports in the province combined).

In May of 2006, Continental Airlines' subsidiary Continental Express began Moncton's only nonstop service to the United States with once-daily flights to New York/Newark.

Airlines and destinations

• Air Canada
  • Air Canada Jazz (Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa [begins October 28], Toronto-Pearson)
  • Air Canada operated by Air Georgian (Halifax)
• Continental Airlines
  • Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Newark)
• WestJet (Hamilton, Toronto-Pearson)

Seasonal carriers

• Air Saint-Pierre (St-Pierre et Miquelon)
• Air Transat (Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Varadero)
• CanJet (Cancún, Orlando, St. Petersburg/Clearwater)[1]
• Corsairfly (Paris-Orly)
• Skyservice (Puerto Plata, Varadero)
• Sunwing Airlines (Puerto Plata)

The airport hosts over 100 flights weekly to up to 10 national and international destinations. Paris, France is the furthest destination served directly from Moncton, although trans-Atlantic service is seasonal.

There is a $15 CAD Airport Improvement Fee charged on departure.

See also

• Moncton/McEwen Airport

References

1. ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 5 July 2007 to 0901Z 30 August 2007.
2. ^ Transport Canada TP 1496 - Preliminary aircraft statistics 2006

External links

• Greater Moncton International Airport

• Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Greater Moncton International Airport from NAV CANADA as available.

pms:Greater Moncton International Airport

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