Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport explained

Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport
Nativename:Aéroport international Roméo-LeBlanc du Grand Moncton
Nativename-R:Moncton/Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport
Image2-Width:250px
Iata:YQM
Icao:CYQM
Wmo:71705
Type:Public
Owner:Transport Canada
Operator:Greater Moncton International Airport Authority
City-Served:Moncton, New Brunswick
Location:Dieppe, New Brunswick
Timezone:AST
Summer:ADT
Elevation-F:232
Coordinates:46.1161°N -64.6786°W
Pushpin Map:Canada New Brunswick#Canada
Pushpin Label:CYQM
Website:www.cyqm.ca
R1-Number:06/24
R1-Length-F:10,001
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:11/29
R2-Length-F:8,000
R2-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2023
Stat2-Header:Number of passengers
Stat2-Data:600,121
Footnotes:Sources: Canada Flight Supplement
Environment Canada[1]
Movements from Statistics Canada[2]
Passenger statistics from Greater Moncton International Airport Authority[3]

Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport[4] (GMIA, French: Aéroport international Roméo-LeBlanc du Grand Moncton[5]) or Moncton/Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport is located in the city of Dieppe 4NM east northeast of downtown Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Originally named Greater Moncton International Airport, the airport was renamed in 2016, in honour of former Governor General Roméo LeBlanc.[6]

The GMIA handled 674,406 passengers[3] and 122,308 aircraft movements[2] in 2019.

GMIA covers a total land area of 760 hectares (1,878 acres) of airport property.[7]

Designated as an international airport by Transport Canada,[8] it is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle aircraft with up to 300 passengers,[9] although planes as large as the 580 passenger Boeing 747 have been handled.[10] [11]

GMIA is home to the Moncton Flight College, the largest flight college in Canada.[12]

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 chosen however because of more favourable landing conditions. Part of this land was donated 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 Avenue and Champlain Street.

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 was the International Airways Flying School. These later became 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 was unsuitable for expansion and instead they chose a site in nearby Lakeburn as the new site for the airport. A paved runway and two additional dirt landing strips were constructed.

In March 1940, the Department of National Defence opened a No. 8 Service Flying Training School(SFTF) at the newly developed RCAF Station Moncton under the auspices of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The school trained 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 serving 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 have been 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.In May 2001, the new, state-of-the-art international air terminal was completed and officially opened in 2002 by Queen Elizabeth II. The Greater Moncton International Airport is the busiest airport in New Brunswick, serving 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. However, the service between Moncton and Newark was ended on September 19, 2014.

FedEx Express, TC Ventus Freight and Purolator Courier also have large hangars at the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Cargo

Statistics

Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic[13] [14] ! Year! Passengers! % change
2010552,629
2011579,329 4.8%
2012615,085 6.2%
2013647,682 5.3%
2014677,159 4.6%
2015644,275 -4.9%
2016657,272 2%
2017665,630 1.3%
2018681,437 2.4%
2019674,406 -1.0%
2020173,404 -74.3%
2021177,040 2.1%
2022468,821 164.8%
2023600,121 28.0%

Accidents and incidents

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/prods_servs/metstat1_e.html Synoptic/Metstat Station Information
  2. Web site: Aircraft movements, by class of operation and peak hour and peak day of movements, for airports with NAV CANADA towers, monthly. Stats Canada. April 26, 2020.
  3. Web site: 2019 was a very successful year for YQM!. January 2020. April 26, 2020.
  4. Web site: Government of Canada renames Greater Moncton International Airport in honour of former Governor General Roméo LeBlanc . 2016-09-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160915140343/http://www.cyqm.ca/en/home/aboutus/news/governmentofcanadarenamesgreatermonctoninternation.aspx . 2016-09-15 . dead .
  5. Web site: Le gouvernement du Canada change le nom de l'aéroport international du Grand Moncton pour rendre hommage à l'ancien gouverneur général Roméo LeBlanc . 2016-09-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160915143909/http://www.cyqm.ca/fr/home/aboutgmia/news/LegouvernementduCanadachangelenomdelaeroport.aspx . 2016-09-15 . dead .
  6. Web site: History . Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport. . 7 August 2019.
  7. Web site: YQM Airport Pilot Data. cyqm.ca. October 27, 2023.
  8. https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/reference-centre/advisory-circulars/advisory-circular-ac-no-302-032#toc55 Advisory Circular (AC) No. 302-032 Subject: Designation of international airports in Canada
  9. https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/do-rb/offices-bureaux/114-eng.html Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport
  10. Web site: Jumbo jet to service expanded Moncton-Paris flight . 2008-04-20 . 2014-01-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140111184022/http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/tp/2005e0815tp.htm . dead .
  11. Web site: EGM Annual Report 2005-2006 . 2008-04-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090304130532/http://www.greatermoncton.org/uploadedfiles/Final_annual_report_2005_06_english.pdf . 2009-03-04 . dead .
  12. Web site: Top Canadian schools join forces. 2008-06-02. Mount Allison University. 2008-06-07. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080605063914/http://www.mta.ca/news/index.cgi?id=1596. 2008-06-05.
  13. Web site: Statistics . Annual Reports . Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport.
  14. Web site: Passenger numbers up, flights added at two largest airports in Maritimes. ctvnews.ca. February 10, 2024.
  15. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46E-SC Commando CF-HTI . May 8, 2023 . .
  16. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-225F C-GCJZ Moncton . May 8, 2023 . .
  17. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900D C=GORZ Moncton . May 8, 2023 . .