Greater Moncton International Airport
Encyclopedia
Greater Moncton International Airport or Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport is located in the city of Dieppe
4 NM 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. The cargo aspect of the airport increased 74% during that period to reach the 2007 figure of 24527 metric tons (27,036 ST). 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 In 2008 it was the 18th busiest in Canada by passenger traffic.
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. Nevertheless planes as large as the 580 passenger Boeing 747
have been handled.
GMIA is home to the Moncton Flight College
, the largest flight college in Canada.
. 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.
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
.
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.
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).
Dieppe, New Brunswick
Dieppe is a Canadian city in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.-Geography:Dieppe is located on the Petitcodiac River east of the adjacent city of Moncton...
4 NM east northeast of downtown Moncton, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
The GMIA has experienced rapid growth. Between 1997 and 2008 passenger traffic increased over 140% to the current (2008) figure of 573,688. The cargo aspect of the airport increased 74% during that period to reach the 2007 figure of 24527 metric tons (27,036 ST). 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 In 2008 it was the 18th busiest in Canada by passenger traffic.
The airport is classified as an airport of entry
Airport of Entry
An airport of entry is an airport that provides customs and immigration services for incoming flights. These services allow the airport to serve as an initial port of entry for foreign visitors arriving in a country.-Africa:-Americas:-Asia:...
by NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA
Nav Canada is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system .The company employs approximately 2,000 air traffic controllers , 800 flight service specialists and 700 technologists...
and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....
. CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle aircraft with up to 225 passengers. Nevertheless planes as large as the 580 passenger Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
have been handled.
GMIA is home to the Moncton Flight College
Moncton Flight College
The Moncton Flight College is a pilot training school based at the Greater Moncton International Airport in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada. MFC is the largest private flight school in Canada. The college has trained over 16,000 pilots from around the world since 1929...
, the largest flight college in Canada.
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 IslandsMagdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
. 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.
Moncton Flight College
The Moncton Flight College is a pilot training school based at the Greater Moncton International Airport in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada. MFC is the largest private flight school in Canada. The college has trained over 16,000 pilots from around the world since 1929...
, 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
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
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
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
opened a flight training school under the auspices of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
. 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
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Halifax
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
, Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
, Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, Fredericton and Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. The hangar of Trans-Canada Airlines (later Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
), 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
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
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
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. A dozen flights with over 2,000 passengers were diverted to the Greater Moncton Airport
Operation Yellow Ribbon
Operation Yellow Ribbon was commenced by Transport Canada to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. Canada’s goal was to ensure that potentially destructive air traffic be removed from U.S. airspace as quickly as possible, and away from...
.
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
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. 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
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
' subsidiary Continental Express
Continental Express
Continental Express is the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines...
began Moncton's only nonstop service to the United States with once-daily (sometimes twice daily) flights to Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, near New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Also, in June 2010 Porter Airlines
Porter Airlines
Porter Airlines is a regional airline headquartered at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Porter operates regularly scheduled flights between Toronto and locations in Canada and the United States using Canadian-built Bombardier Dash-8 Q 400...
began a service to Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport or Macdonald-Cartier International Airport , in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is named after Sirs John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier...
. This route also intends to connect Moncton to Toronto, linking passengers going to or from Billy Bishop Toronto airport through a stop Ottawa.
Both FedEx Express and Purolator Courier
Purolator Courier
Purolator Courier Ltd. is a Canadian courier that is 91% owned by Canada Post Corporation, 7% owned by Barry Lapointe Holdings Ltd. and 2% by others....
also have large hangars at the airport.
As a city lying on the Great Circle Route, Moncton has an important Area Control Center
Area Control Center
In air traffic control, an Area Control Center , also known as a Center, is a facility responsible for controlling instrument flight rules aircraft en route in a particular volume of airspace at high altitudes between airport approaches and departures...
for service to transatlantic flights ("Moncton Center", CZQM).