Brandon Municipal Airport (also known as Brandon Airport or McGill Field) is an airport located
north of
Brandon
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
*Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Q ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, Canada. It serves the City of Brandon, the
Westman and
Parkland regions of Manitoba, and eastern
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
. Brandon Municipal Airport is classified as an
airport of entry
In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internat ...
by
Nav Canada
Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act ...
and is staffed by the
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; french: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and cu ...
(CBSA) on a call-out basis from the
International Peace Garden Border Crossing
The International Peace Garden Border Crossing, also known as the Dunseith–Boissevain Border Crossing, is a crossing on the Canada–United States border connecting the towns of Boissevain, Manitoba and Dunseith, North Dakota. The border cros ...
.
WestJet Encore
WestJet Encore is a Canadian regional airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta that operates feeder flights for WestJet, owned by the same parent company WestJet Airlines, Ltd. In response to internal market studies about future growth limita ...
operates daily non-stop service from Brandon to
Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport , branded as YYC Calgary International Airport, is an international airport that serves the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately northeast of downtown and covers an area of 20.82 squa ...
.
Brandon Municipal Airport is home to the
Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum
The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum is an aviation museum located at Brandon Municipal Airport, Brandon, Manitoba. It is dedicated to the memory of the airmen from the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, who trained at World War II a ...
.
History
World War II
Brandon Aerodrome was originally built by the
Department of National Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippi ...
in 1941, for use as a
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
flight training school under the
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...
. Pilots were trained at the airport on
Cessna Cranes and
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) a ...
s, among other aircraft, for
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
flying service. In 1945, the school was closed in conjunction with the end of the Second World War.
Portions of the former
RCAF Station Brandon are now classified as a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...
. The
Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum
The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum is an aviation museum located at Brandon Municipal Airport, Brandon, Manitoba. It is dedicated to the memory of the airmen from the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, who trained at World War II a ...
is a popular tourist attraction located at the airport that commemorates the BCATP and the former Station.
Commercial service
Brandon Municipal Airport has had scheduled passenger air service operated by a number of airlines since the late 1970s.
Perimeter Aviation
Perimeter Aviation is an airline with its head office on the property of Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Perimeter Aviation operates more than 30 aircraft on scheduled, charter, and medevac ...
served Brandon Airport in the early 1980s with weekday flights to
Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (commonly known as Winnipeg International Airport or Winnipeg Airport) is a Transport Canada designated international airport located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the seventh b ...
operated with
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general avi ...
commuter aircraft.
Pacific Western Airlines
Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s.
It was headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Ri ...
introduced
Boeing 737-200
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
service to Brandon Airport in the mid-1980s, operated on a round trip routing of
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
–
Kelowna
Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''kiÊ ...
–
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
–Brandon–
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...
–
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
six days a week.
During the 1990s,
Bearskin Airlines
Bearskin Lake Air Service LP, operating as Bearskin Airlines, is a regional airline based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It is a division of Perimeter Aviation and operates services in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Its main base is at Thunde ...
flew
Beechcraft Model 99
The Beechcraft Model 99 is a civilian aircraft produced by Beechcraft. It is also known as the Beech 99 Airliner and the Commuter 99. The 99 is a twin-engine, unpressurized, 15 to 17 passenger seat turboprop aircraft, derived from the earlier B ...
commuter turboprop aircraft between Brandon Municipal Airport and Winnipeg International Airport with four daily flights, and
Perimeter Aviation
Perimeter Aviation is an airline with its head office on the property of Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Perimeter Aviation operates more than 30 aircraft on scheduled, charter, and medevac ...
flew
Swearingen Metro
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...
commuter propjets with two daily flights between Brandon and Winnipeg.
Athabaska Airlines also operated weekday flights to Winnipeg using
Beechcraft 1900C
The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With ...
commuter prop-jets.
2000s
On September 3, 2013,
WestJet Encore
WestJet Encore is a Canadian regional airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta that operates feeder flights for WestJet, owned by the same parent company WestJet Airlines, Ltd. In response to internal market studies about future growth limita ...
launched daily non-stop service from Brandon to
Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport , branded as YYC Calgary International Airport, is an international airport that serves the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately northeast of downtown and covers an area of 20.82 squa ...
operated with
Bombardier Q400 aircraft. From June 29, 2016 to September 5, 2016, WestJet operated limited-time non-stop service from Brandon to
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surro ...
utilizing
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...
aircraft, stating that the service may return dependent on demand and fleet availability.
A major redevelopment and expansion of the passenger terminal building was announced by local and provincial government officials on August 14, 2014 to meet increased passenger demand.
Construction began in 2015, and the new Brandon Municipal Airport terminal building officially opened on May 10, 2017.
Infrastructure
Runways
Brandon Municipal Airport occupies a total land area of
and has two active runways, 08/26 and 14/32.
Runway 14/32 is used for
light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997.
Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...
only.
Terminal
The Brandon Municipal Airport passenger
terminal
Terminal may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together
* Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line
* Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output dev ...
building is a facility designed by Prairie Architects Inc. It is a Gold
LEED-certified building for its sustainable,
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
and efficient design, construction and operation.
Construction of the terminal building began in 2015 and was carried out in three phases.
Phase one saw the construction of of new terminal space that included an arrival & departures hall,
baggage-handling
facility, new
check-in
Check-in is the process whereby people announce their arrival at an office, hotel, airport, hospital, seaport or event.
Office check-in
Many offices have a reception or front office area near the entrance to greet or assist visitors arriving to a ...
facilities, and a new baggage claim and
carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
.
Phase two involved the renovation and redevelopment of the existing terminal building that had been constructed on the site in 1970.
This included the addition of a new
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) screening area, a secure side departure lounge, accessible washroom facilities, expanded self-serve retail, new
fiber-optic communication
Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Fiber is pref ...
infrastructure, and extensive mechanical and energy efficiency improvements.
Phase three joined phase one (new terminal) and phase two (redeveloped existing terminal) within a 12 hour timeframe.
The airport remained open and fully functional throughout the entire construction process.
The new Brandon Airport terminal building was officially opened to the public on May 10, 2017.
Other facilities
Brandon Flight Centre
FBO maintains aircraft
hangar
A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
facilities at Brandon Municipal Airport and provides
aviation fuel
Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhanc ...
,
aircraft deicing, and other aviation services 24-hours. Maple Leaf Aviation Ltd provides aircraft maintenance and aviation services and also maintains aircraft hangar facilities at the airport.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Ground transportation
![Westjet Encore Q400](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Westjet_Encore_Q400.JPG)
Car
Brandon Municipal Airport is accessible by car from
Manitoba Highway 10
Provincial Trunk Highway 10 (PTH 10) is a provincial primary highway located in the Canadian province of Manitoba.
PTH 10 begins at the International Peace Garden along the Canada–United States border near Boissevain. The highway runs north ...
, approximately north of the
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...
.
Car rental
A car rental, hire car or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time to the public, generally ranging from a few hours to a few weeks. It is often organized with numerous local branches (which allow a user to ...
services provided by
Enterprise Rent-A-Car are available inside the terminal building.
Taxi
Numerous Brandon
taxicab
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
companies provide 24-hour licensed taxi service at Brandon Airport, including wheelchair accessible units.
Shuttle
Brandon Air Shuttle provides shuttle service from Brandon Municipal Airport to
Dauphin and other communities in
Westman and
Parkland regions. Daily shuttle service is available and must be pre-booked.
See also
*
List of airports in Manitoba
This is a list of airports in Manitoba. It includes all Nav Canada certified and registered water and land airports, aerodromes and heliports in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Airport names in are part of the National Airports System.
__TO ...
References
External links
Brandon Airport(official City of Brandon website)
Brandon Airport InformationBrandon Municipal Airporton
COPA
Copa or COPA may refer to:
COPA
COPA may refer to:
* Computer Operator Programming Assistant. trade of ITI
* Child Online Protection Act, a former U.S. law to protect minors from certain material on the internet
* Canadian Owners and Pilots Ass ...
's ''Places to Fly'' airport directory
*
{{authority control
Certified airports in Manitoba
Airports of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
Buildings and structures in Brandon, Manitoba
Transport in Brandon, Manitoba
1941 establishments in Manitoba