Greater Moncton International Airport

Greater Moncton International Airport Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport
IATA: YQM – ICAO: CYQM – WMO: 71705
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Transport Canada
Operator		Greater Moncton International Airport Authority
Serves		Moncton, New Brunswick
Location		Dieppe, New Brunswick
Elevation AMSL		232 ft / 71 m
Coordinates		46°06′44″N 064°40′43″W / 46.11222°N 64.67861°W / 46.11222; -64.67861Coordinates: 46°06′44″N 064°40′43″W / 46.11222°N 64.67861°W / 46.11222; -64.67861
Website		www.gmia.ca
Map
CYQM
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
06/24	6,150	1,875	Asphalt
11/29	8,000	2,438	Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft movements			116,851
Passengers			552,629
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[1] Environment Canada[2] Movements from Statistics Canada[3] Passenger statistics from Greater Moncton International Airport Authority[4]

Greater Moncton International Airport (French: Aéroport international du Grand Moncton) or Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport (IATA: YQM, ICAO: CYQM) is located in the city of Dieppe 4 NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) east northeast of downtown Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

The GMIA has experienced rapid growth. Between 1997 and 2008 passenger traffic increased over 140% to the current (2008) figure of 573,688.^[4] The cargo aspect of the airport increased 74% during that period to reach the 2007 figure of 24,527 metric tons (27,036 short tons).^[4] In 2007 the airport saw a 61% increase in aircraft movements over 2006, going from 77,886 movements to 125,414. As of 2010 it was the 16th busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements^[3] In 2008 it was the 18th busiest in Canada by passenger traffic.^[3]

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency. CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle aircraft with up to 225 passengers.^[5][6] Nevertheless planes as large as the 580 passenger Boeing 747 have been handled.^[7][8]

GMIA is home to the Moncton Flight College, the largest flight college in Canada.^[9]

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. Part of this land was donated to the city of Moncton by Simon B. LeBlanc of Leger's Corner, a developer, land owner and owner of the LeBlanc general store and post office located on the south corner of the now named streets of Acadie Ave and Champlain St.

The Moncton Airstrip at Léger's Corner in 1929. The airport was moved to nearby Lakeburn (now part of Dieppe) in 1936.

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 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 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 11, 2001 when airspace over North America was shut down following the World Trade Center attacks. A dozen flights with over 2,000 passengers were diverted to the Greater Moncton Airport.

A Porter Airlines banner inside the terminal

In May 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 the busiest airport in New Brunswick, servicing more than 552,629 passengers per year.

In May 2006, Continental Airlines' subsidiary Continental Express began Moncton's only nonstop service to the United States with once-daily (sometimes twice daily) flights to Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, near New York City.

Also, in June 2010 Porter Airlines began a service to Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier. This route also intends to connect Moncton to Toronto, linking passengers going to or from Billy Bishop Toronto airport through a stop Ottawa.^[10]

Both FedEx Express and Purolator Courier also have large hangars at the airport.

As a city lying on the Great Circle Route, Moncton has an important Area Control Center for service to transatlantic flights ("Moncton Center", CZQM).

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Westjet B737-700 Leaving for Hamilton

An Air Canada Airbus A321 just arrived from Toronto

Airlines	Destinations
Air Canada Express operated by Air Georgian	Halifax, Montreal-Trudeau
Air Canada Express operated by Jazz Air	Montreal-Trudeau, Ottawa, Toronto-Pearson
Air Transat	Seasonal: Cancun, Punta Cana
CanJet	Seasonal: Varadero
Continental Connection operated by Colgan Air	Newark
Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines	Newark
Porter Airlines	Ottawa, Toronto-Billy Bishop Seasonal: Direct: Toronto-Billy Bishop
Sunwing	Seasonal: La Romana, Montego Bay, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo
WestJet	Toronto-Pearson Seasonal: Cancun, Hamilton, Orlando

Cargo airlines

Airlines	Destinations
Cargojet Airways
FedEx Express operated by Morningstar Air Express
Purolator Courier operated by Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter

See also

• Moncton/McEwen Airport

References

1. ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 20 October 2011 to 0901Z 15 December 2011
2. ^ Synoptic/Metstat Station Information
3. ^ ^{a b c} Total aircraft movements by class of operation — NAV CANADA towers
4. ^ ^{a b c} GMIA Traffic
5. ^ Greater Moncton International Airport Receives Airport of Entry/225 Designation
6. ^ Service Codes and Definitions
7. ^ Jumbo jet to service expanded Moncton-Paris flight
8. ^ EGM Annual Report 2005-2006
9. ^ "Top Canadian schools join forces". Mount Allison University. 2008-06-02. http://www.mta.ca/news/index.cgi?id=1596. Retrieved 2008-06-07. 
10. ^ [1]

External links

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