- addition of 6 contact gates (for a total of 17 contact gates), as well as 2 remote gates.
- The work will be completed by 2016, at a cost of 500 to 600 million $ CAD
- For the first time in it's 70 year history, the airport expects to handle more international passengers than domestic or trans-border passengers in 2011.
-The airport might reach its design capacity of 15 million as early as 2013.
- The new QR flights to DOH have been fully booked so far.
- TK and EK are interested in serving YUL
- With an average of 455 passengers/day traveling from YUL to East Asia, the airport authority is focusing on opening a route to China, with PEK, PVG and HKG at the top of the list.
- Opportunity for AC to start a YUL-PEK service once the 787s arrive.
There are also some interesting graphs in there of the busiest international destinations out of YUL in terms of seats/week.
All in all, things are looking up for YUL. Traffic is up, airlines are showing interest, and if things continue the way they are, i am confident YUL will get a non-stop to East Asia in the next 3-7 years.
P.S Montreal's population is nowhere near 10 million, as the article might suggest. Don't know what Mr. Cherry was thinking when he said that ! Hopefully some of the other things he said aren't as exagerated.
Thenoflyzone
us Air Traffic Controllers have a good record, we haven't left one up there yet !!
flyyul From Italy, joined Jun 2000, 4930 posts, RR: 53 Reply 4, posted (1 year 10 months 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 3061 times:
Much of the expansion at YUL has been done by Air Canada.
Since 2008 AC has added 5 daily international peak summer flying widebodies.
My hope is that ADM focuses on maintaining and improving it's incentive for Air Canada to continue to build Montreal as complementary hub to the main YYZ hub.
Focusing on attracting QR/TK/EK is very much against the goal of building a hub - instead these pax transit through other carrier hub and provides a disincentive for STAR to expand it's presence.
thenoflyzone From Canada, joined Jan 2001, 1964 posts, RR: 12 Reply 5, posted (1 year 10 months 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 2990 times:
Quoting flyyul (Reply 4): My hope is that ADM focuses on maintaining and improving it's incentive for Air Canada to continue to build Montreal as complementary hub to the main YYZ hub.
True, but considering that the Canadian Govt is already protecting AC, Aeroports de Montreal doesn't need to do it as well.
Besides, we both know that until the 787s arrive, AC has no more planes left for expansion. So until 2013-2014, all that ADM can do for further growth is to focus on other airlines starting service to YUL.
Thenoflyzone
us Air Traffic Controllers have a good record, we haven't left one up there yet !!
flyyul From Italy, joined Jun 2000, 4930 posts, RR: 53 Reply 6, posted (1 year 10 months 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 2958 times:
Quoting thenoflyzone (Reply 5): Besides, we both know that until the 787s arrive, AC has no more planes left for expansion. So until 2013-2014, all that ADM can do for further growth is to focus on other airlines starting service to YUL.
When other airlines (such as state-subsidized airlines like EK/QR) come into the market, it provides a disincentive for AC and other carriers to hub based carriers to grow.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21481 posts, RR: 24 Reply 7, posted (1 year 10 months 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 2714 times:
Quoting IndianicWorld (Reply 1): On a broader note though, it's a pity that they didn't go with Mirabel as the option for the future.
Disagree. The pity is that Mirabel was ever built in the first place. YUL's traffic would probably be twice as high as it is now had Mirabel never existed.
heathrow From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2005, 942 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (1 year 10 months 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 2494 times:
Quoting IndianicWorld (Reply 8):
IMHO, the idea behind YMX was a strong one, but the execution was badly managed.
YMX could have been a beautiful thing for Montréal and Ottawa. It's a shame....
Is there any possibility of seeing CX moving on on a HKG route, or does star keep their grip on YUL? I think it would compliment the current AA and BA services well.
IndianicWorld From Australia, joined Jun 2001, 2403 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (1 year 10 months 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 2479 times:
^^ An Asia-YUL flight should do quite well. Certainly one to look out for in the future. Whether it be CX or any number of other carriers, time will tell.
DCA-ROCguy From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 4402 posts, RR: 37 Reply 11, posted (1 year 10 months 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 2265 times:
Good for YUL. It looks like the airport and the Montreal market have a good future ahead of them.
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 7): Disagree. The pity is that Mirabel was ever built in the first place. YUL's traffic would probably be twice as high as it is now had Mirabel never existed.
Indeed on the former, less certain on the latter. Mirabel was built so far away, that even with better links YUL would still be much closer to the majority of the Montreal-area population. But without YMX, it's still hard telling if YUL would have become more of what YYZ is today. Quebec politics (i.e. separatism) between YMX's 1976 opening, and the end of the millennium, helped push Toronto into its role as the largest Canadian business city, and largest driver of high-yield international traffic.
Quoting IndianicWorld (Reply 8): IMHO, the idea behind YMX was a strong one, but the execution was badly managed.
The only way that YMX could have succeeded, would be if YUL had been closed. Clearly the local powers-that-be didn't want that, or it would have happened. Who wants to drive out to YMX for your Rapidair flight to Toronto?
YMX was IMO a gigantic waste of money that never should have happened. YUL and YOW are very-well suited to meet the needs of Montreal and Ottawa, respectively. YUL's expanded facilities are excellent. I made a connection there recently on YVR-YUL-DCA. The airport was well-marked, lines short, customs and security well-staffed, and the walk easy (if somewhat circuitous).
Even if YYZ is the largest Canadian international hub, Montreal definitely has some impressive international markets. I was at YUL on June 19, and saw three AF jumbos--744, 380, and 773--there all at once!
thenoflyzone From Canada, joined Jan 2001, 1964 posts, RR: 12 Reply 12, posted (1 year 10 months 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 2218 times:
Quoting DCA-ROCguy (Reply 11): I was at YUL on June 19, and saw three AF jumbos--744, 380, and 773--there all at once!
lol. I saw the same thing on my way back from FLL on June 17.
Normally, these 3 flights are never supposed to see each other on the tarmac. They are supposed to arrive and depart one after the other, but due to the AF maintenance workers strike at CDG, AF has been adjusting certain flight times in order to do some maintenance at YUL.
Quoting heathrow (Reply 9): Is there any possibility of seeing CX moving on on a HKG route, or does star keep their grip on YUL? I think it would compliment the current AA and BA services well.
PEK would be the most ideal destination. Huge *A hub, meaning both AC or CA could start the service. Plus, easy connections to almost anywhere in Asia, including PVG and HKG.
A no brainer, really.
Thenoflyzone
us Air Traffic Controllers have a good record, we haven't left one up there yet !!
cyeg66 From Canada, joined Feb 2011, 166 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (1 year 10 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 1884 times:
Good for YUL. When I stayed at the Airport Marriot, my room fortunately looked out over the Int'l jetty. There was a nice mix of airlines at the gates (and the usual bevy of Transat planes). I've no doubt that YUL could support a NRT or PEK flight in the very near term. Now if they could just finish "fixing" the Dorval access roads.... Sheesh, what a mess. It'll no doubt be much more user friendly when it's done.
On an operational front, and yes, as always to compare, YUL is leaving YYC in the dust in pax numbers this year and for the first time in an awfully long time, YUL's movements are surpassing YYC's as well. It probably has a little to do with the 'bazillion' flights recently introduced from YTZ and other airlines beefing up their presence in the triangle....
slow to 160, contact tower, slow to 160, contact tower, slow to....ZZZZZZZ......
thenoflyzone From Canada, joined Jan 2001, 1964 posts, RR: 12 Reply 14, posted (1 year 10 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 1749 times:
Quoting cyeg66 (Reply 13): It probably has a little to do with the 'bazillion' flights recently introduced from YTZ and other airlines beefing up their presence in the triangle....
Surprisingly, PD has been doing pretty good so far, even with the addition of the Sky Regional flights from YTZ. Highest load factor for May 2011, with passenger traffc increasing by 43.8 % (y.o.y). Who would have thought !
cyeg66 From Canada, joined Feb 2011, 166 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (1 year 10 months 20 hours ago) and read 1374 times:
Quoting thenoflyzone (Reply 14): Surprisingly, PD has been doing pretty good so far, even with the addition of the Sky Regional flights from YTZ. Highest load factor for May 2011, with passenger traffc increasing by 43.8 % (y.o.y). Who would have thought !
I combed through Deluce's comments time and again and still found little to support the notion of profitability. Guess we'll find out how deep his pockets are at some point...
Quoting thenoflyzone (Reply 14): As for YYC, well....you're in Alberta, you tell me what's going on. Even YEG is stagnant these days, no growth what so ever. Weird indeed !
With the exception of Sky Regional and Porter, no new metal is flying in Canadian skies. The few that are are being deployed out East, hence little growth in the West. In YYC's particular case, few new flights can be added when airlines would like to add them; there's only 34 contact gates and the remote ones are almost exclusively used for overnight parking. Worst of all is runway capacity during peak times, and the ever present runway/taxiway closures exacerbating the situation. It's comical at times. I figure when YEG/YYC's expansions are complete, and WJA starts to take delivery of new tin, growth will be bumped up a bit. It'll never return to the 10% growth or more of yesteryear 'cause there simply isn't the population to support it, but it should get a little better. Now we just have to see what the States will do about their crushing debt situation and if that could have a far reaching impact on the North American aviation scene.
slow to 160, contact tower, slow to 160, contact tower, slow to....ZZZZZZZ......
yulguy From Canada, joined Feb 2004, 245 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (1 year 10 months 19 hours ago) and read 1331 times:
Quoting DCA-ROCguy (Reply 11): Quebec politics (i.e. separatism) between YMX's 1976 opening, and the end of the millennium, helped push Toronto into its role as the largest Canadian business city, and largest driver of high-yield international traffic.
While the rise of Quebec nationalism played a role in speeding up the departure of some head offices, Toronto was already in the process of becoming the economic hub and most populous city as early as the '50s when the federal government decided to build the St. Lawrence Seaway. When it opened, ships could more easily bypass Montreal for points further west like Toronto. This precipitated Montreal's decline as the major centre of Canada. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) became the largest metro area in the country in the '70s.
Also, Transport Canada used to force trans-Atlantic flights to land in YUL. YMX was mistakenly designed thinking Montreal would continue the same phenomenal growth pattern it had up until the '60s and that many planes would have needed to refuel before going onward to their final destination. When Toronto usurped Montreal's position as Canada's largest city, when the government dropped the antiquated landing rule and technology rendered necessary stopovers unnecessary, (not to mention the fact that YMX was never properly linked via a train system or proper highway and YUL was kept open) YMX had become redundant. All in all, bad planning.
I'm happy with YUL anyway. I'm sure Ottawans are happy with YOW too.
"Celui qui diffère de moi, loin de me léser, m'enrichit." - Saint-Exupéry
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