Montréal-Mirabel International Airport
Encyclopedia
Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, (or Montréal International (Mirabel) Airport) originally called Montréal International Airport and widely known simply as Mirabel is an airport
located in Mirabel
, Quebec
, Canada
, 21 NM northwest of Montreal
and was opened October 4, 1975. It was the largest airport in the world in terms of surface area ever envisioned, with a planned area of 39660 hectares (396.6 km²). The King Fahd International Airport
, which was completed in 1999, surpassed its surface area.
In 1989, 81,000 of the 98000 acres (396.6 km²) were deeded back to their owners. The predominant role of the airport is cargo flights
but it is also home to MEDEVAC
s and general aviation
flights as well as being a manufacturing base for Bombardier Aerospace
, where final assembly of regional jet
(CRJ700, CRJ900 and CRJ1000
) aircraft is conducted. The former passenger terminal apron is now a racing course.
It was intended to replace the existing Dorval Airport
as the eastern air gateway to Canada
; from 1975 to 1997, all international flights to/from Montreal were required to use Mirabel. However, Mirabel's distant location and lack of transport links, as well as Montréal's economic decline relative to Toronto
, made it unpopular with airlines and travellers, so Dorval was not closed as originally planned. Eventually, Mirabel was relegated to the role of a cargo airport. Initially a source of pride, the airport eventually became an embarrassment widely regarded in Canada as being a boondoggle
and a white elephant
. Ironically, the Dorval Airport was renamed Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
after the Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the man who spearheaded the Mirabel project to replace Dorval.
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 general aviation aircraft only with no more than 15 passengers.
It is one of two airports in Canada with sufficient right-of-way that can be expanded to accommodate 50 million passengers per year, the other being Toronto Pearson International Airport
, though a lack of traffic meant that Mirabel was never expanded beyond its first phase. It is one of only two non-capital airports with fewer than 200,000 passengers a year to be part of the National Airports System
.
The airport is 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) northwest of Downtown Montreal
and 47 kilometres (29.2 mi) northwest of Trudeau Airport.
coupled with the hosting of Expo 67
brought the city international status. More and more visitors were arriving to the city, especially by airplane, though not always by choice. The federal government required that European airlines make Montréal their only Canadian destination. This resulted in 15–20% annual growth in passenger traffic at the city's Dorval Airport. Optimistic about the city's future and its continuing ability to attract more and more visitors, government officials decided to build a new airport that would be more than able to absorb increased passenger traffic well into the 21st century.
The Canadian Department of Transport studied five possible sites for Montreal's new airport: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (50 km to the southwest), Vaudreuil-Dorion (40 km to the west), Joliette (70 km to the north), St-Amable (30 km to the southeast), and St. Scholastique (60 km to the northwest).
The federal government proposed that the airport should be located at Vaudreuil-Dorion. This location was well connected by existing road and rail routes, as well as being close enough to serve the population of the city; furthermore it could serve as the gateway to Ottawa
as well as Montréal. Quebec Premier
Robert Bourassa
, who had a frosty relationship with Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau
, reportedly did not want such an important project to be placed so close to the Ontario
border. The Bourassa government preferred that the new airport be situated in Drummondville (100 km to the east).
and provincial
governments reached a compromise to locate at the St. Scholastique site, and proposals were drawn up to expropriate 97000 acres (392.5 km²), an area larger than the entire city of Montreal. It is served only by a long road link via Autoroute 15
and Autoroute 50
. An additional link via Autoroute 13
was planned but never completed. Also planned was the connection of Autoroute 50 to the Ottawa/Gatineau
area, a goal which will finally be achieved in 2012.
The federal government expropriation
resulted in making Mirabel the world's largest airport by property area. (King Fahd International Airport
in Saudi Arabia
later surpassed Mirabel as the world's largest airport by property area, a record it still retains). The airport's operations zone, which encompassed what was eventually built plus expansion room, amounted to only 17000 acres (68.8 km²), about 19% of the total area of the airport. The federal government planned to use the excess land as a noise buffer and as an industrial development zone (which was never started). This attracted the ire of the people of St. Scholastique who protested vehemently against the expropriation of their land. Nevertheless, construction started in June 1970 under the auspices of BANAIM, a government organization formed to build the airport.
High-speed rail
transit (the system was to be capable of speeds from 100 to 120 km/h (62.1 to 74.6 mph) for the Montréal-Mirabel run), initially to be called TRRAMM (Transport Rapide Régional Aéroportuaire Montréal-Mirabel), was intended to be completed at a later date. However, it never got beyond the drawing board. The TRRAMM system was also intended to eventually be expanded to other parts of the Montreal region. The major stumbling block for the TRRAMM project was funding. The federal, provincial, and municipal governments never managed to find enough cash to fund the highly ambitious and expensive rapid transit project. Thus, Mirabel was forced to cope with an inadequate road system and non-existent rail transit, supplemented only by express buses run by Société de transport de Montréal
(Montreal Transit Corporation).
. In the rush to get the airport open in time for the Olympics, it was decided to transfer flights to Mirabel in two stages. International flights would be transferred immediately, while domestic and US flights would continue to be served by Dorval airport until 1982.
The federal government predicted that Dorval would be completely saturated by 1985 as part of its justification for building Mirabel. They also projected that 20 million passengers would be passing through Montreal's airports annually, with 17 million through Mirabel. That claim never materialized, for by 1991 Mirabel and Dorval handled a total of 8 million passengers and 112,000 tons of cargo annually, while Toronto was handling 18.5 million passengers and 312,000 tons of cargo. Mirabel alone never managed to exceed 3 million passengers per year in its existence as a passenger airport.
After 1976, Mirabel and Dorval began to decline in importance due to the increasing use in the 1980s of longer-range jets that did not need to refuel in Montréal before crossing the Atlantic
, and this trend commenced during Mirabel's planning stages. These factors dramatically reduced the amount of projected air traffic
into Dorval. The result was that a second airport became unnecessary. Only Air Transat
held out until the very end.
To ensure Mirabel's survival, all international flights for Montréal were banned from Dorval from 1975 to 1997. However, public pressure in support of Dorval prevented its planned closure, yet Dorval's continued existence made Mirabel comparatively expensive and unattractive to airlines and travelers alike. Dorval was only 20 minutes away from the city core while it took 50 minutes to get to Mirabel in ideal traffic conditions. Passengers who used Montreal in transit had to take long bus rides for connections from domestic to international flights, while Montrealers resented Mirabel as they were forced to travel far out of town for international flights. Many international airlines, faced with the stark economic reality of operating two Canadian points of entry, opted to overfly Montreal by landing instead in Toronto with its better domestic and US
connections. The simultaneous operating of both Montréal airports resulted in Dorval being overtaken in traffic first by Toronto and then relegated to third by Vancouver International
, as international airlines were slow to return to Dorval after it resumed handling international flights in 1997. Over time the decreasing passenger flights began to take a toll on businesses within Mirabel, particularly notable was the 354 room Chateau Aeroport-Mirabel
hotel adjacent to the terminal, which was forced to shut down in 2002 after 25 years of operation.
magazine interviewed one resident, whose farm was expropriated, who said that his land was sacrificed to save the city. He was particularly critical of the Trudeau government for not closing Dorval as well as failing to recognize Mirabel's potential, as no legislation similar to the Wright Amendment
in the U.S. was enacted that would force airlines to use Mirabel instead of Dorval. Supporters of making Mirabel the sole international airport of Montreal pointed out that it had the capacity to be expanded significantly to meeting growing future demand, unlike Dorval. They also noted that Dorval could be closed and its land be developed for prime real estate
, and some of the profits could go towards improving access routes to Mirabel and/or the airport itself.
The initial location of Mirabel was supposed to be a major justification for the project, not only because of its expansion room, but also the afforded buffer which would significantly reduce noise pollution
in urban areas.
Today, Montréal-Mirabel International Airport is used almost exclusively for cargo flights, with passenger operations having ceased on October 31, 2004, twenty-nine years after the airport's opening and many years of limited, primarily charter service. Bombardier Aerospace launches newly constructed units from its factory at Mirabel, and Bell Helicopter operates a commercial helicopter facility at Mirabel.
With very little or, later, no airline service, and with many empty spaces inside its terminal, Mirabel has been the setting of several movies, TV series, and commercials for many years. The movie The Terminal
features the mezzanine overlooking the immigration desks and the baggage carousels directly behind them, the tarmac and the main terminal entrance (with a digitally added New York skyline reflection). All other terminal scenes were shot on a soundstage.
In 2006, I-Parks Creative Industries, a French
firm that specializes in the creation of urban tourist attractions, and Oger International SA, the global engineering company owned by the family of slain former Lebanese
prime minister and entrepreneur Rafik Hariri
, entered into an agreement to turn Mirabel into a theme
park. The proposed concept of the park is based on the theme of water and outer space. By August 2008, negotiations, market research, and technical assessments were continuously delayed, and construction not started.
In December 2006, in a move he called "correcting a historical injustice," Prime Minister Stephen Harper
announced the return of 4,450 hectares of farmland expropriated to build Mirabel airport. About 125 farmers, who rent their land from the federal government, were permitted to buy it back. Harper said he was pleased to finish the work started by former prime minister, Brian Mulroney
, who unlocked a major parcel of expropriated land during his first term in office in 1985.
In May 2007, it was reported that the International Center of Advanced Racing had signed a 25 year lease with Aéroports de Montréal to use part of the airport as a race track. At the same time fixed base operator
, Hélibellule, opened a facility at the site to cater for the private jets
that were expected. The company also provides a passenger service from Mirabel to destinations in Canada and the United States. They operate three different types of helicopter
s; Bell 222
, Robinson R22
and Aérospatiale Gazelle
.
In August 2007, AirMédic moved from its base at Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport to Mirabel. AirMédic is a non-profit humane foundation serving the population of Quebec and its visitors with the service of air ambulances. It offers MEDEVAC flights using a Eurocopter Dauphin
.
In August 2008, the Agence métropolitaine de transport
said it was willing to expand its commuter rail service to the airport if passenger traffic were to return.
in July 2010, the ADM confirmed that I-Parks Creative Industries's long-delayed AeroDream project was dead, officially canceling it. At present there are no plans for any alternative development at the site.
s and six terminal
buildings, with a separate STOLport
also planned. The expansion was supposed to occur in a number of phases and be completed by 2025. However, the airport never got beyond the first phase of construction, and by October 2005 runway 11/29 was closed leaving only runway 06/24 operational.
From the furthest reach of the parking lot
to the airplane seat, one can walk as little as 200 metres. A train station was also built in the basement for the planned TRRAMM service, right below the main passenger concourse. Today, it is used as an employee parking lot.
Designed by architects Papineau-Gérin-Lajoie, Mirabel's terminal carried over their creator's award-winning Expo 67 Quebec pavilion design. A simple minimalist dark glass box sitting on top of a concrete bunker housing maintenance services, the terminal was hailed as an architectural triumph when it first opened. The only terminal was designed to handle six million passengers per year.
Passengers walked as little as 100 metres going from the curb to the gate
. Once there, passengers would be transported to their aircraft by Passenger Transfer Vehicles
(PTVs), rather than walking through jetways. The PTVs, similar to those at Washington Dulles International Airport
, ran from the terminal to the aircraft parking spot on the ramp
. It was reported by Radio-Canada/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
that each of these vehicles had cost up to C$
400,000 at the time. To eventually make connections between flights easier, the terminal also included a few jetways, in a smaller concourse called the Aeroquay, accessible via an underground tunnel and later connected directly to the main concourse.
Mirabel initially opened with service from local airlines Air Canada
, Canadian Pacific Airlines
and Nordair
(Quebecair), as well as airlines from more than fifteen countries, including Aer Lingus
, Aeroflot
, Air France
, Alitalia
, British Airways
, Czech Airlines
, El Al
, Iberia Airlines
, KLM, Lufthansa
, Olympic Airlines
, Sabena
, Scandinavian Airlines System
, Swissair
and TAP Portugal
. These airlines had their national country flags posted in front of the terminal on the inauguration of Mirabel.
Other airlines to have flown to Mirabel at some point were Aerolíneas Argentinas
, Aeroméxico
, Air India
, Air Liberté
, Business Express Airlines
(operating as Northwest Airlink
), Corsairfly
, Cubana de Aviación
, Finnair
, Jaro International
, Jat Airways
, LAN Chile, LOT Polish Airlines
, Peoplexpress Airlines
, Royal Air Maroc
, Royal Jordanian
, TAROM
, and Varig
. Most gradually lost faith in Mirabel and either transferred to Dorval in 1997 or pulled out of Montreal altogether.
Several charter airlines also served Mirabel, such as Wardair
, Nolisair
, Canada 3000
and Royal Aviation
. All four have either merged or gone out of business. Air Transat
is the only charter airline that started operations at Mirabel and stayed until the end of passenger service in 2004.
Today, the only major users of Montréal-Mirabel International Airport are cargo airlines.
houses its Defence Services Division on the property of Mirabel Airport.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located in Mirabel
Mirabel, Quebec
Mirabel is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is an off-island suburb north-west of Montreal.Mirabel is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Quebec, coextensive with the city of Mirabel. Its geographical code is 74.Mirabel's population was...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, 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...
, 21 NM northwest of 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...
and was opened October 4, 1975. It was the largest airport in the world in terms of surface area ever envisioned, with a planned area of 39660 hectares (396.6 km²). The King Fahd International Airport
King Fahd International Airport
King Fahd International Airport is located 20 kilometers northwest of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It is the largest airport in the world in terms of land area . The airport's basic infrastructure was complete by the end of 1990, which allowed the Allied forces engaged in the first Gulf War in early...
, which was completed in 1999, surpassed its surface area.
In 1989, 81,000 of the 98000 acres (396.6 km²) were deeded back to their owners. The predominant role of the airport is cargo flights
Cargo airline
Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...
but it is also home to MEDEVAC
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
s and general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
flights as well as being a manufacturing base for Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
, where final assembly of regional jet
Regional airliner
A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' hubs from small markets. This class of airliners are typically flown by the regional airlines that are either contracted by or subsidiaries of the...
(CRJ700, CRJ900 and CRJ1000
Bombardier CRJ700
The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are regional airliners based on the Bombardier CRJ200. Final assembly of the aircraft is at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Quebec, outside Montreal, Canada.-Development:...
) aircraft is conducted. The former passenger terminal apron is now a racing course.
It was intended to replace the existing Dorval Airport
Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport or Montréal-Trudeau, formerly known as Montréal-Dorval International Airport, is located on the Island of Montreal, from Montreal's downtown core. The airport terminals are located entirely in Dorval, while the Air Canada headquarters complex...
as the eastern air gateway to 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...
; from 1975 to 1997, all international flights to/from Montreal were required to use Mirabel. However, Mirabel's distant location and lack of transport links, as well as Montréal's economic decline relative to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, made it unpopular with airlines and travellers, so Dorval was not closed as originally planned. Eventually, Mirabel was relegated to the role of a cargo airport. Initially a source of pride, the airport eventually became an embarrassment widely regarded in Canada as being a boondoggle
Boondoggle (project)
A boondoggle is a project that is considered to waste time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy motivations.- Etymology :...
and a white elephant
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
. Ironically, the Dorval Airport was renamed Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport or Montréal-Trudeau, formerly known as Montréal-Dorval International Airport, is located on the Island of Montreal, from Montreal's downtown core. The airport terminals are located entirely in Dorval, while the Air Canada headquarters complex...
after the Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the man who spearheaded the Mirabel project to replace Dorval.
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 general aviation aircraft only with no more than 15 passengers.
It is one of two airports in Canada with sufficient right-of-way that can be expanded to accommodate 50 million passengers per year, the other being Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
, though a lack of traffic meant that Mirabel was never expanded beyond its first phase. It is one of only two non-capital airports with fewer than 200,000 passengers a year to be part of the National Airports System
National Airports System (Canada)
Canada's National Airport System was defined in the National Airports Policy published in 1994. It was intended to include all airports with an annual traffic of 200,000 passengers or more, as well as airports serving the national, provincial and territorial capitals.Any airport sustaining an...
.
The airport is 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) northwest of Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Papineau Avenue to the east, Guy Street or until Shaughnessy Village to the west,...
and 47 kilometres (29.2 mi) northwest of Trudeau Airport.
Development
In the 1960s, Montreal experienced a tremendous economic boom. Massive construction projects, including the Montreal MetroMontreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
coupled with the hosting of Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
brought the city international status. More and more visitors were arriving to the city, especially by airplane, though not always by choice. The federal government required that European airlines make Montréal their only Canadian destination. This resulted in 15–20% annual growth in passenger traffic at the city's Dorval Airport. Optimistic about the city's future and its continuing ability to attract more and more visitors, government officials decided to build a new airport that would be more than able to absorb increased passenger traffic well into the 21st century.
The Canadian Department of Transport studied five possible sites for Montreal's new airport: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (50 km to the southwest), Vaudreuil-Dorion (40 km to the west), Joliette (70 km to the north), St-Amable (30 km to the southeast), and St. Scholastique (60 km to the northwest).
The federal government proposed that the airport should be located at Vaudreuil-Dorion. This location was well connected by existing road and rail routes, as well as being close enough to serve the population of the city; furthermore it could serve as the gateway to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
as well as Montréal. Quebec Premier
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa
Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early...
, who had a frosty relationship with Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
, reportedly did not want such an important project to be placed so close to the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
border. The Bourassa government preferred that the new airport be situated in Drummondville (100 km to the east).
Expropriation
In March 1969, the federalGovernment of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
and provincial
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
governments reached a compromise to locate at the St. Scholastique site, and proposals were drawn up to expropriate 97000 acres (392.5 km²), an area larger than the entire city of Montreal. It is served only by a long road link via Autoroute 15
Quebec Autoroute 15
Autoroute 15 is a highway in western Quebec, Canada...
and Autoroute 50
Quebec Autoroute 50
Autoroute 50 is an Autoroute in western Quebec. Once completed, it will link the Outaouais region to the Greater Montreal area....
. An additional link via Autoroute 13
Quebec Autoroute 13
Autoroute 13 , is a freeway in the urban region of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its southern end is at the junction of A-20 on the Island of Montreal near Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Its northern terminus is at the junction of A-640 near Boisbriand...
was planned but never completed. Also planned was the connection of Autoroute 50 to the Ottawa/Gatineau
National Capital Region (Canada)
The National Capital Region, also referred to as Canada's Capital Region, is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities....
area, a goal which will finally be achieved in 2012.
The federal government expropriation
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
resulted in making Mirabel the world's largest airport by property area. (King Fahd International Airport
King Fahd International Airport
King Fahd International Airport is located 20 kilometers northwest of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It is the largest airport in the world in terms of land area . The airport's basic infrastructure was complete by the end of 1990, which allowed the Allied forces engaged in the first Gulf War in early...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
later surpassed Mirabel as the world's largest airport by property area, a record it still retains). The airport's operations zone, which encompassed what was eventually built plus expansion room, amounted to only 17000 acres (68.8 km²), about 19% of the total area of the airport. The federal government planned to use the excess land as a noise buffer and as an industrial development zone (which was never started). This attracted the ire of the people of St. Scholastique who protested vehemently against the expropriation of their land. Nevertheless, construction started in June 1970 under the auspices of BANAIM, a government organization formed to build the airport.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
transit (the system was to be capable of speeds from 100 to 120 km/h (62.1 to 74.6 mph) for the Montréal-Mirabel run), initially to be called TRRAMM (Transport Rapide Régional Aéroportuaire Montréal-Mirabel), was intended to be completed at a later date. However, it never got beyond the drawing board. The TRRAMM system was also intended to eventually be expanded to other parts of the Montreal region. The major stumbling block for the TRRAMM project was funding. The federal, provincial, and municipal governments never managed to find enough cash to fund the highly ambitious and expensive rapid transit project. Thus, Mirabel was forced to cope with an inadequate road system and non-existent rail transit, supplemented only by express buses run by Société de transport de Montréal
Société de transport de Montréal
The Société de transport de Montréal is a public transport agency that operates transit bus, and rapid transit services in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
(Montreal Transit Corporation).
Operational history and decline
Montréal-Mirabel International Airport opened for business on October 4, 1975, in time for the 1976 Summer Olympics1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. In the rush to get the airport open in time for the Olympics, it was decided to transfer flights to Mirabel in two stages. International flights would be transferred immediately, while domestic and US flights would continue to be served by Dorval airport until 1982.
The federal government predicted that Dorval would be completely saturated by 1985 as part of its justification for building Mirabel. They also projected that 20 million passengers would be passing through Montreal's airports annually, with 17 million through Mirabel. That claim never materialized, for by 1991 Mirabel and Dorval handled a total of 8 million passengers and 112,000 tons of cargo annually, while Toronto was handling 18.5 million passengers and 312,000 tons of cargo. Mirabel alone never managed to exceed 3 million passengers per year in its existence as a passenger airport.
After 1976, Mirabel and Dorval began to decline in importance due to the increasing use in the 1980s of longer-range jets that did not need to refuel in Montréal before crossing the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, and this trend commenced during Mirabel's planning stages. These factors dramatically reduced the amount of projected air traffic
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
into Dorval. The result was that a second airport became unnecessary. Only Air Transat
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
held out until the very end.
To ensure Mirabel's survival, all international flights for Montréal were banned from Dorval from 1975 to 1997. However, public pressure in support of Dorval prevented its planned closure, yet Dorval's continued existence made Mirabel comparatively expensive and unattractive to airlines and travelers alike. Dorval was only 20 minutes away from the city core while it took 50 minutes to get to Mirabel in ideal traffic conditions. Passengers who used Montreal in transit had to take long bus rides for connections from domestic to international flights, while Montrealers resented Mirabel as they were forced to travel far out of town for international flights. Many international airlines, faced with the stark economic reality of operating two Canadian points of entry, opted to overfly Montreal by landing instead in Toronto with its better domestic and US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
connections. The simultaneous operating of both Montréal airports resulted in Dorval being overtaken in traffic first by Toronto and then relegated to third by Vancouver International
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
, as international airlines were slow to return to Dorval after it resumed handling international flights in 1997. Over time the decreasing passenger flights began to take a toll on businesses within Mirabel, particularly notable was the 354 room Chateau Aeroport-Mirabel
Chateau Aeroport-Mirabel
The Chateau Aeroport-Mirabel was a resort themed hotel at theMirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. It was located beside the airport's main terminal building, connected by an indoor passageway...
hotel adjacent to the terminal, which was forced to shut down in 2002 after 25 years of operation.
Debate
In the late 1990s, Maclean'sMaclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
magazine interviewed one resident, whose farm was expropriated, who said that his land was sacrificed to save the city. He was particularly critical of the Trudeau government for not closing Dorval as well as failing to recognize Mirabel's potential, as no legislation similar to the Wright Amendment
Wright Amendment
The Wright Amendment of 1979 is a federal law governing traffic at Dallas Love Field, an airport in Dallas, Texas. It originally limited most nonstop flights to destinations within Texas and neighboring states. The limits began phasing out in 1997 and 2005...
in the U.S. was enacted that would force airlines to use Mirabel instead of Dorval. Supporters of making Mirabel the sole international airport of Montreal pointed out that it had the capacity to be expanded significantly to meeting growing future demand, unlike Dorval. They also noted that Dorval could be closed and its land be developed for prime real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
, and some of the profits could go towards improving access routes to Mirabel and/or the airport itself.
The initial location of Mirabel was supposed to be a major justification for the project, not only because of its expansion room, but also the afforded buffer which would significantly reduce noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
in urban areas.
Present Day
The CAD$716 million expansion of Dorval from 2000–2005 gave it the ability to serve 20 million passengers a year, ironically accomplishing one of the goals that was to be met with the construction of Mirabel. (In the 1970s, the federal government projected that 20 million passengers would be passing through Montreal's airports annually by 1985, with 17 million through Mirabel). Aéroports de Montréal financed all of these improvements itself, with no government grants.Today, Montréal-Mirabel International Airport is used almost exclusively for cargo flights, with passenger operations having ceased on October 31, 2004, twenty-nine years after the airport's opening and many years of limited, primarily charter service. Bombardier Aerospace launches newly constructed units from its factory at Mirabel, and Bell Helicopter operates a commercial helicopter facility at Mirabel.
With very little or, later, no airline service, and with many empty spaces inside its terminal, Mirabel has been the setting of several movies, TV series, and commercials for many years. The movie The Terminal
The Terminal
The Terminal is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It is about a man trapped in a terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport when he is denied entry into the United States and at the same time cannot...
features the mezzanine overlooking the immigration desks and the baggage carousels directly behind them, the tarmac and the main terminal entrance (with a digitally added New York skyline reflection). All other terminal scenes were shot on a soundstage.
In 2006, I-Parks Creative Industries, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
firm that specializes in the creation of urban tourist attractions, and Oger International SA, the global engineering company owned by the family of slain former Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
prime minister and entrepreneur Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri
Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri , was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
, entered into an agreement to turn Mirabel into a theme
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
park. The proposed concept of the park is based on the theme of water and outer space. By August 2008, negotiations, market research, and technical assessments were continuously delayed, and construction not started.
In December 2006, in a move he called "correcting a historical injustice," Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
announced the return of 4,450 hectares of farmland expropriated to build Mirabel airport. About 125 farmers, who rent their land from the federal government, were permitted to buy it back. Harper said he was pleased to finish the work started by former prime minister, Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
, who unlocked a major parcel of expropriated land during his first term in office in 1985.
In May 2007, it was reported that the International Center of Advanced Racing had signed a 25 year lease with Aéroports de Montréal to use part of the airport as a race track. At the same time fixed base operator
Fixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
, Hélibellule, opened a facility at the site to cater for the private jets
Business jet
Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...
that were expected. The company also provides a passenger service from Mirabel to destinations in Canada and the United States. They operate three different types of helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s; Bell 222
Bell 222
The Bell 222 is a twin-engined light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. The Bell 230 is an improved development with different engines and other minor changes. A cosmetically modified version of the 222 was used as the titular aircraft in the US television series Airwolf.-Development:In the late...
, Robinson R22
Robinson R22
The Robinson R22 is a two-bladed, single-engine light utility helicopter manufactured by Robinson Helicopter. The two-seat R22 was designed in 1973 by Frank Robinson and has been in production since 1979.-Development:...
and Aérospatiale Gazelle
Aérospatiale Gazelle
The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a five-seat light helicopter, powered by a single turbine engine. It was designed and manufactured in France by Sud Aviation . It was also manufactured under licence by Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom , by SOKO in Yugoslavia and ABHCO in Egypt...
.
In August 2007, AirMédic moved from its base at Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport to Mirabel. AirMédic is a non-profit humane foundation serving the population of Quebec and its visitors with the service of air ambulances. It offers MEDEVAC flights using a Eurocopter Dauphin
Eurocopter Dauphin
The Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
.
In August 2008, the Agence métropolitaine de transport
Agence métropolitaine de transport
The Agence métropolitaine de transport is the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across Canada's Greater Montreal Region, including the Island of Montreal, Laval , and communities along both the North Shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles...
said it was willing to expand its commuter rail service to the airport if passenger traffic were to return.
in July 2010, the ADM confirmed that I-Parks Creative Industries's long-delayed AeroDream project was dead, officially canceling it. At present there are no plans for any alternative development at the site.
Architecture and layout
Mirabel was designed to be eventually expanded to six runwayRunway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s and six terminal
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
buildings, with a separate STOLport
STOLport
A STOLport or STOLPORT is an airport designed with STOL operations in mind, normally having a short single runway; shorter than . The term does not appear to be in common usage as of 2008...
also planned. The expansion was supposed to occur in a number of phases and be completed by 2025. However, the airport never got beyond the first phase of construction, and by October 2005 runway 11/29 was closed leaving only runway 06/24 operational.
From the furthest reach of the parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
to the airplane seat, one can walk as little as 200 metres. A train station was also built in the basement for the planned TRRAMM service, right below the main passenger concourse. Today, it is used as an employee parking lot.
Designed by architects Papineau-Gérin-Lajoie, Mirabel's terminal carried over their creator's award-winning Expo 67 Quebec pavilion design. A simple minimalist dark glass box sitting on top of a concrete bunker housing maintenance services, the terminal was hailed as an architectural triumph when it first opened. The only terminal was designed to handle six million passengers per year.
Passengers walked as little as 100 metres going from the curb to the gate
Gate (airport)
A gate in aviation is a long, movable, "bridge" that allows passengers to embark and disembark their aircraft.* Jetway bridges* Air stairs, either built into the aircraft or from a mobile vehicle* Mobile lounges...
. Once there, passengers would be transported to their aircraft by Passenger Transfer Vehicles
Mobile lounge
The mobile lounge is a system for boarding and disembarkation from aircraft. It consists of a 54-by-16-foot carriage mounted on a scissor truck, capable of carrying 102 passengers. These vehicles were designed by the Chrysler Corporation in association with the Budd Company, and are sometimes...
(PTVs), rather than walking through jetways. The PTVs, similar to those at Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
, ran from the terminal to the aircraft parking spot on the ramp
Airport ramp
The airport ramp or apron is part of an airport. It is usually the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled or boarded. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway...
. It was reported by Radio-Canada/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
that each of these vehicles had cost up to C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
400,000 at the time. To eventually make connections between flights easier, the terminal also included a few jetways, in a smaller concourse called the Aeroquay, accessible via an underground tunnel and later connected directly to the main concourse.
Airlines and destinations
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...
, Canadian Pacific Airlines
Canadian Pacific Airlines
Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986...
and Nordair
Nordair
Nordair is a defunct Quebec-based regional airline founded in 1947 from the merger of Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation. The airline operated from the 1950s to the 1980s. Most of its business was international and transatlantic passenger and freight charters and other contracts. It also...
(Quebecair), as well as airlines from more than fifteen countries, including Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
, Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
, Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
, Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, Czech Airlines
Czech Airlines
Czech Airlines j.s.c. , trading as Czech Airlines , is the national airline of the Czech Republic and temporary in Slovakia with its head office on the grounds of Ruzyně Airport in Ruzyně, Prague...
, El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
, Iberia Airlines
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
, KLM, Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, Olympic Airlines
Olympic Airlines
Olympic Airlines was the flag carrier airline of Greece, with its head office in Athens. It operated services to 37 domestic destinations and to 32 destinations world-wide. Its main base was at Athens International Airport, with hubs at Thessaloniki International Airport, "Macedonia" and Rhodes...
, Sabena
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
, Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
, Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
and TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
. These airlines had their national country flags posted in front of the terminal on the inauguration of Mirabel.
Other airlines to have flown to Mirabel at some point were Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas , formally Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A., is Argentina's largest airline and serves as the country's flag carrier. Owned in its majority by the Argentine Government, the airline is headquartered in the Torre Bouchard, located in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires...
, Aeroméxico
Aeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
, Air India
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman...
, Air Liberté
Air Liberté
Air Liberté was an airline in France founded in July 1987. Air Liberté was headquartered in Rungis. Airlib was headquartered in Orly Airport Building 363 in Paray-Vieille-Poste....
, Business Express Airlines
Business Express Airlines
Business Express Airlines , often referred to simply as Business Express or BizEX was an American regional airline founded as Atlantic Air in 1982. In an effort to appeal with its predominantly business commuter clientele, the airline assumed the Business Express name in 1985...
(operating as Northwest Airlink
Northwest Airlink
Northwest Airlink was the trade name of Northwest Airlines' regional airline service, which flew turboprop and regional jet aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis...
), Corsairfly
Corsairfly
Corsair S.A. trading as Corsairfly, is an airline based in Rungis, France. It is currently the second largest French airline after Air France and operates international scheduled and charter services to 62 European destinations, the French overseas territories, Africa and North America...
, Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on 8 October 1929, and has its corporate headquarters in Havana. Its main base is at José Martí International Airport...
, Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
, Jaro International
Jaro International
Jaro was a charter airline based at Aurel Vlaicu International Airport in Bucharest, Romania, and operated from 1991 to 2001, when it was liquided by bankruptcy.-History:...
, Jat Airways
Jat Airways
Jat Airways is the national airline of Serbia and the former national airline of Yugoslavia, and has its head office in the Jat Airways Business Center in Belgrade. It was established in 1927 as Aeroput, making it currently one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation...
, LAN Chile, LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,...
, Peoplexpress Airlines
Peoplexpress Airlines
People Express Airlines, stylized as PEOPLExpress, also known as People Express Travel, was a U.S. no-frills airline that operated from 1981 to 1987, when it merged into Continental Airlines...
, Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc is the flag carrier airline of Morocco, headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca...
, Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
, TAROM
TAROM
S.C. Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A., doing business as TAROM Romanian Air Transport, is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania. The brand name is an acronym for...
, and Varig
Varig
VARIG was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990 it was Brazil's leading and almost only international airline...
. Most gradually lost faith in Mirabel and either transferred to Dorval in 1997 or pulled out of Montreal altogether.
Several charter airlines also served Mirabel, such as Wardair
Wardair
Wardair Canada was a privately-run Canadian airline, founded by Max Ward in 1953 under the name Wardair Ltd, before formally changing its name to "Wardair Canada" in 1976...
, Nolisair
Nolisair
Nolisair was a Canadian company, the parent company of Nationair, a Canadian airline, and of Technair, an aircraft maintenance company...
, Canada 3000
Canada 3000
Canada 3000 Inc. was a Canadian discount charter airline offering domestic and international flights. It was the largest charter airline in the world at the time of its operation, with over 90 destinations worldwide, although it changed to scheduled service in 2000 after the Canadian Airlines and...
and Royal Aviation
Royal Aviation
Royal Aviation was the parent of Canadian charter airline Royal Airlines, which was based at Dorval Airport. The airline was acquired in 2001 by Canada 3000, which in turn went bankrupt in the months following the events of September 11, 2001....
. All four have either merged or gone out of business. Air Transat
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
is the only charter airline that started operations at Mirabel and stayed until the end of passenger service in 2004.
Today, the only major users of Montréal-Mirabel International Airport are cargo airlines.
Other facilities
Bombardier AerospaceBombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
houses its Defence Services Division on the property of Mirabel Airport.
Incidents and accidents
The following accidents occurred either at the airport, or involved aircraft using the airport:- June 23, 1985: Air India Flight 182Air India Flight 182Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. On 23 June 1985, the airplane operating on the route a Boeing 747-237B named after Emperor Kanishka was blown up by a bomb at an altitude of , and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace.A...
, a Boeing 747-200B enroute from Montréal-Mirabel to London Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
was blown up by a terroristTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
bomb off the coast of IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, killing all 307 passengers and 22 crew.
- January 21, 1995: Royal Air MarocRoyal Air MarocRoyal Air Maroc is the flag carrier airline of Morocco, headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca...
Flight 205, a Boeing 747-400Boeing 747-400The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
preparing to depart for New York CityNew York CityNew 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...
and CasablancaCasablancaCasablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, was being de-icedDeicingFor snow and ice control on roadways and similar facilities, see Snow removalDe-icing is defined as removal of snow, ice or frost from a surface...
by Canadian AirlinesCanadian AirlinesCanadian Airlines International Ltd. was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, and carried more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996...
groundcrewGroundcrewIn aviation, the groundcrew is the support crew supplying the aircraft with fuel and maintenance, as opposed to the aircrew.In airlines, ground crew members include:*Airframe and powerplant technicians*Avionics technicians*Baggage handlers*Rampers...
, while its engines were running. Due to a communications error, the pilot believed de-icing was complete and started taxiingTaxiingTaxiing refers to the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or push-back where the aircraft is moved by a tug...
forward. Two deicing vehicles that were still in place in front of both horizontal stabilizers were knocked down, causing fatal injuries for three de-icing crew members and serious injuries to the two drivers.
- June 18, 1998: PropairPropairPropair Inc. is a charter airline with its headquarters on the property of Rouyn-Noranda Airport in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. It operates charter and medevac flights. Its main base is Rouyn-Noranda Airport. It has a secondary base at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.-...
Flight 420, a Fairchild Swearingen MetrolinerFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
flying from Dorval International Airport (now Montréal-Trudeau International Airport) to Peterborough AirportPeterborough AirportPeterborough Airport, , is located south-southwest of the city of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The airport includes a main asphalt runway oriented east-west, and a smaller turf runway oriented northwest-southeast. A new terminal building is to be completed in 2011...
in Peterborough, OntarioPeterborough, OntarioPeterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, experienced a wing/engine fire during the initial climb. It attempted an emergency landing at Mirabel, but crashed near the beginning of the runway, in part due to a landing gearUndercarriageThe undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
failure. The two pilots and the nine passengers on board were killed.
External links
- Aéroports de Montréal
- Page about Mirabel Airport in the Canadian Owners & Pilots Association Places to Fly Airport Directory
- The airport whose demise was caused by rail absence a critique of the Mirabel Airport closure