The saga of Montreal’s airports is a strange tale complicated by bureaucracy and the unpredictable future. The city was unique in Canada in that for a time it was served by two full scale, world-class airports. The story of how Mirabel and Pierre Elliot Trudeau International were conceived, built and then ultimately went on to their separate destinies has as many twists and turns as a soap opera drama.
Originally christened the Dorval airport, PETI was opened in 1941 to take over from the much smaller field in St-Hubert which had served as the city’s primary hub until that time. Almost from day 1 the airport began to expand and in 1960 it truly joined the international ranks as it was renovated to open a terminal that was the biggest in Canada.
Too Much Noise, Not Enough Space
As the airport continued to grow through the 60’s, citizens in the surrounding towns of Point Claire, Dorval and St. Laurent began to complain of the constant noise from jets taking off at all hours of the day. The Canadian government was also concerned with the notion that one day demand for air travel out of Montreal would outstrip the capacity of the Dorval airport. The growing fracas lead to the planning and construction of a second, enormous airport in St. Scholastique, a small town located 60 km’s to the north of the city. The reasoning behind this extreme distance between downtown and the proposed airport was to provide room for the airport to expand, if necessary, and also to keep residential development far away from runways. The airport was rushed into service in time for the 1976 Olympics and immediately began handling all international flights to Montreal.
Too Many Airports, Not Enough Passengers
Unfortunately for city fathers and Transport Canada employees, the 20 percent yearly increase in Montreal-bound air passengers slowed down to a much more manageable trickle in the 1980’s. This was partly due to the fact that the economic center of Canada shifted away from Montreal towards Toronto, and partly due to the fact that jets making trans-Atlantic flights were more efficient and no longer had to stop in Montreal for refueling. The city was left with two large, ultra-modern airports when it only needed one. It was clear that the convenience and proximity of the airport in Dorval would make it the favorite over Mirabel. Part of the plan to make Mirabel’s extreme distance viable had been the construction of a high-speed rail link from downtown out to the airport, but this never materialized, and Mirabel continued to be served by inadequate road access and no real public transit. Refusing to acknowledge the white elephant in their midst, the governments of both Quebec and Canada propped up Mirabel by requiring all international flights to leave from that location, reserving Dorval solely for domestic traffic. This extreme inconvenience went on until 1997, when it was realized that the cost of maintaining both airports was no longer feasible. Mirabel continues to operate in a reduced capacity for cargo flights and as a race track, but no longer sees any passenger traffic.
Southern Options for Montreal Travel
Dorval was renamed Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport in 2004, after one of Canada’s most popular Prime Ministers. It has seen increased investment as a result of the re-establishment of international flights, and the number of passengers using it on a yearly basis continues to grow. It is not, however, the only option for people wishing to travel to the city by air. The cities of Burlington, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York are both less than one and a half hours from the island of Montreal, and with domestic air travel so inexpensive in the US both airports are a popular option for American and Canadian travelers alike. The appeal of using either of these small airports is also increased by the ability of travelers to avoid long hassles at airport customs – and security checkpoints are also less time consuming for domestic flights. Whichever airport you prefer, there is certainly no lack of choice when it comes to deciding how to fly into Montreal.
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