Mont-Joli Airport
History
World War II
In the summer of 1940 the Royal Canadian Air Force selected a flat area of farmland between Mont-Joli Station (on the Montreal-Halifax Canadian National Railway mainline) and the Saint Lawrence River for a military airfield. Construction on the aerodrome began in October 1941 and was completed by April 1942 at a cost of $200,000. Three paved runways and 50 buildings were constructed for what became known as RCAF Station Mont-Joli.
Inaugurated on April 15, 1942, RCAF Station Mont-Joli was a training base for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and hosted No. 9 Bombing and Gunnery School from 15 December 1941 until 14 April 1945. RCAF Station Mont-Joli was used by RCAF Eastern Air Command during the Battle of the St. Lawrence as a coastal patrol base; during 1942–1944, Canadian cargo ships and warships were sunk by German U-boats in an effort to close the Saint Lawrence Seaway off to shipping. Aircraft staging out of Mont-Joli were among those used to ward off U-boats and ensure the safety of shipping to the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula at Cap-Gaspé.
Aerodrome information
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 48°36′N 68°12′W / 48.600°N 68.200°W with a Var. 24 degrees W and elevation of 100 feet (30 m). The aerodrome was listed as with three runways as follows:
| Runway name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/24 | 5,000 feet (1,524 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | 4000' paved |
| 16/34 | 4,600 feet (1,402 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | 4000' paved |
| 2/20 | 5,000 feet (1,524 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | 4300' paved |
Post-war (1945–1995)
RCAF Station Mont-Joli was decommissioned by the air force in 1945 and became the property of the Department of Transport (now Transport Canada) on December 15, 1945 for use as a civilian airport.
Current (1995–present)
Its ownership was transferred again in 1995 to the "Régie intermunicipale de l’aéroport régional de Mont-Joli".
It is the busiest airport in eastern Quebec, though still very far from the Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City and Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal.
In 2007 a second runway (15/33) was opened and runway 06/24 decreased in length from 6,000 ft (1,829 m) to 5,000 ft (1,524 m). In 2017, runway 06/24 was once again extended to 6,000 ft (1,829 m), in order to accommodate the B737-800. Sunwing Airlines started flying that aircraft type from Mont-Joli to Punta Cana in December 2017.
Air Canada indefinitely suspended its operations at Mont-Joli Airport in June 2020 due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Inuit | Seasonal charter: Port-Menier |
| Chrono Aviation | Seasonal charter: Port-Menier |
| PAL Airlines | Moncton, Wabush |
References
- ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Synoptic/Metstat Station Information". Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
- ^ Total aircraft movements by class of operation — NAV CANADA flight service stations
- ^ Hatch, F. J. (1983). The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945. Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. ISBN 0660114437.
- ^ Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 70.
- ^ aeroportmontjoli.com - The Airport
- ^ Evans, Pete (June 30, 2020). "Air Canada cancels 30 domestic routes, closes 8 stations at regional airports". CBC News. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ "PAL Airlines Adds Moncton – Mont-Joli Sector From Nov 2022". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
External links
- Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Mont-Joli Airport from Nav Canada as available.
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