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MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport

Coordinates: 45°31′05″N 073°25′01″W / 45.51806°N 73.41694°W / 45.51806; -73.41694
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"Montreal/Saint-Hubert Airport" redirects here. Not to be confused with Saint-Hubert Air Base or Saint-Hubert Airport.

MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport

MET – Aéroport métropolitain de Montréal
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorDASH-L (Développement Aéroport Saint-Hubert de Longueuil)
ServesGreater Montreal
LocationLongueuil, Quebec
Built1927; 97 years ago (1927)
Time zoneEST (UTC−05:00)
 • Summer (DST)EDT (UTC−04:00)
Elevation AMSL90 ft / 27 m
Coordinates45°31′05″N 073°25′01″W / 45.51806°N 73.41694°W / 45.51806; -73.41694
Websitewww.metmtl.com
Map
CYHU is located in Quebec
CYHU
CYHU
CYHU is located in Canada
CYHU
CYHU
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06L/24R 7,801 2,378 Asphalt
06R/24L 3,922 1,195 Asphalt
10/28 2,420 738 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft movements116,721

MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport (IATA: YHU, ICAO: CYHU) (French: MET – Aéroport métropolitain de Montréal),[4] formerly known as Montréal Saint-Hubert - Longueuil Airport (Aéroport Montréal Saint-Hubert - Longueuil) or Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport, and still commonly referred to as St-Hubert airport, is located in the Saint-Hubert borough of Longueuil, Quebec. The airport is located 16 km (9.9 mi) east of Downtown Montreal and 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) east of downtown Longueuil.[1]

As of 2023, it is ranked as Canada's 12th busiest airport by aircraft movements.[3] This airport mainly serves travelers to Quebec destinations.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a call-out basis from Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. CBSA officers at this airport can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers.[1]

History

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Canada became involved in the Imperial Airship Scheme during the 1926 Imperial Conference, when Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King pledged Canada’s assistance to Great Britain. Money was set aside for the construction of an airship base, airport and mooring mast in eastern Canada. British experts came over in May 1927 to choose a site; they visited a number of locations in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, finally settling on a piece of land on the south shore of Montreal, at Saint-Hubert, and officially announcing this decision in August 1927. Work on the airfield began almost immediately and Saint-Hubert’s first airmail delivery took place in November 1927.[5]

It was also during the summer of 1927 that the Air Ministry decided to send the R100 to Canada. On August 1, 1930, the R100 airship arrived after what was possibly the first non-stop passenger-carrying powered flight across the North Atlantic to land in Canada.[5]

In the late 1930s the airport was used by Canadian Associated Aircraft to build the Handley Page Hampden.

Canada’s first air traffic control tower opened at the Saint-Hubert Airport on April 13, 1939.[6] It was Montreal's first and only airport until the opening of Dorval Airport (now Montréal–Trudeau International Airport) in 1941.

Pascan Aviation's fixed-base operator lounge in the airport

The airport was divided into two sides, a military side along with the Pratt & Whitney Canada facility (facing runway 06L/24R) and a civilian side (facing runway 06R/24L). Today the military base, the former RCAF Station St Hubert, has ceased operations, but the Armed Forces still use the base as a garrison comprising the tactical helicopter unit, 438 Squadron, 34 Service Battalion and 34 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters. The ex-Pratt & Whitney hangar is owned and operated since 2012 as the largest FBO on the airport by an AvJet branded dealer: CYHU H-18 Services Inc. Their hangar is the newest addition to the FBO network: HUB FBO.

Following the new National Airports Policy announced by Transport Canada in 1994, ownership of the airport was transferred to a private corporation, Développement de l'aéroport Saint-Hubert de Longueuil (DASH-L), on September 1, 2004.

It was here that the body of Quebec Minister of Labour and Deputy Premier, Pierre Laporte, was found during the October Crisis of 1970.

Recent upgrades

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In 2018, the runway was upgraded to accommodate larger aircraft and attract low cost carriers.[7] It was announced on February 27, 2023 that Porter Airlines will develop a new passenger terminal at the airport that is due to be completed in late 2024 and provide domestic flights throughout Canada.[8]

In 2024, it was unveiled that Saint-Hubert Airport would be rebranded to the Metropolitan Airport of Montreal (Aéroport métropolitain de Montréal) and use the abbreviation "MET".[9]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Chrono Aviation Iqaluit[10]
Pascan Aviation Bagotville, Bonaventure, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Mont-Joli, Quebec City, Sept-Îles, Wabush

Accidents

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  • On March 17, 2017, about 13:00 EDT (17:00 UTC), a midair collision occurred on the southeastern side of the airport, over the city of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. The two planes collided at an approximate altitude of 1,100 ft (340 m) over the Promenades Saint-Bruno, both aircraft were Cessna 152, owned by Cargair, a flight training school. One plane crashed on the rooftop of the shopping mall, injuring the pilot. The other crashed in the parking lot, killing the pilot. The owner of Cargair indicated that both pilots involved in the crash were from China.[11][12]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Synoptic/Metstat Station Information". Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Aircraft movements, by class of operation, airports with NAV CANADA services and other selected airports, monthly". Statistics Canada. February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport". Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "The R.100 in Canada" (PDF). publications.gc.ca. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  6. ^ "Canada's First Air Traffic Control Tower Celebrates 85th Anniversary". navcanada.ca. April 12, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "Saint-Hubert Airport upgrades runway to attract ultra-low-cost carriers". CBC News. August 30, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Porter to provide passenger flights out of Montreal's Saint-Hubert Airport". February 27, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  9. ^ "Saint-Hubert Airport gets new name, branding". Montreal. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Locheed, David (April 23, 2024). "Chrono Aviation launching direct flights between Iqaluit and Montreal". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "1 dead after planes collide above shopping centre on Montreal's South Shore". CBC News. March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "'Papa November Papa, are you listening?': Air traffic control's frantic message before Saint-Bruno crash". CBC News. March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.

Bibliography

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  • Jesse, William. "Breaking New Ground: The Canadian Government's First Civil Aerodrome". Air Enthusiast, No. 55, Autumn 1994, pp. 14–15. ISSN 0143-5450
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