Greater Moncton International Airport

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Greater Moncton International Airport
IATA: YQM - ICAO: CYQM
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Greater Moncton International Airport Authority Inc.
Serves Moncton, New Brunswick
Elevation AMSL 232 ft (71 m)
Coordinates 46°06′44″N, 064°40′43″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 6,150 1,875 Asphalt
11/29 8,000 2,438 Asphalt

The Greater Moncton International Airport (French: Aéroport international du Grand Moncton) or Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport (IATA: YQM, ICAO: CYQM) is located 4.0 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 with air traffic more than doubling between 1997 and 2004 (64,942 landings/takeoffs and greater than 499,855 passengers).

Contents

[edit] 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 favorable landing conditions.

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.

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 500,000 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.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Seasonal carriers

The airport hosts over 150 flights weekly to up to 12 national and international destinations. Paris, France and Hanover, Germany are the furthest destinations served directly from Moncton, although trans-Atlantic service is seasonal.

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

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External link

Airports in Canada
Airports in the National Airports System:
| Calgary | Charlottetown | Edmonton | Fredericton | Gander | Halifax | Iqaluit | Kelowna | London | Moncton | Montréal-Mirabel | Montréal-Trudeau | Ottawa | Prince George | Québec | Regina | Saint John | St. John's | Saskatoon | Thunder Bay | Toronto | Vancouver | Victoria | Whitehorse | Winnipeg | Yellowknife |
Regional/Local Airports
| Alberta | British Columbia | Manitoba | New Brunswick | Newfoundland and Labrador | Northwest Territories |
| Nova Scotia | Nunavut | Ontario | Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Yukon |
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