Mont-Tremblant International Airport (officially La Macaza – Mont-Tremblant International and formerly Rivière Rouge – Mont-Tremblant International Airport) is a single runway airport located in the township of La Macaza, north of the village, about north of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada.

History

Military base

The airport was completed in 1962 for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) by Boeing to military specifications, as an RCAF emergency landing field, with a runway of . It became home to 447 SAM Squadron, armed with 29 nuclear tipped CIM-10 Bomarc missiles. After 1968 the station became CFB La Macaza and closed as an active base in 1972 following the removal of the Bomarc missiles.

Civilian airfield

It was converted to be a civilian airport, and then turned into an international airport in 2000 despite a referendum held in the region in which the citizens of La Macaza opposed the project. In December 2007,

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started o ...

began seasonal service to its Newark hub. The route operated at least until the winter of 2010–2011.

Federal prison

The area that was used for the Bomarc launchers was converted into the La Macaza Institution in 1978.

Facilities

The airport consists of a small chalet-style terminal building along the east side of the runway and south of the prison facility. There are no hangars for aircraft storage. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada 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 Mirabel Airport. CBSA officers at this airport can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers. The airport is about a 40-minute taxi ride from the resort at Mont Tremblant in good road conditions. It can take up to an hour in winter snow conditions as part of the road is secondary pavement with many twists and turns. The airport is served during the ski season and summer months by

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and between December and March by Air Canada.

Airlines and destinations

Ground transportation

The airport has shuttle buses running from the airport to the

Mont Tremblant Resort Mont Tremblant Ski Resort (commonly referred to as Tremblant) is a year-round resort in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, located about northwest of Montreal. It is best known as a ski destination, but also features Lake Tremblant su ...

. Rental cars, taxis and limos are available for travel around Mont Tremblant International Airport.

Expansion plans

The airport operator is planning to expand the airport services by extending the runway to (to allow larger jets to land), building a larger terminal (moved to the north end of the runway from the current southeast side of the runway) and adding a water aerodrome (waterside terminal for floatplanes) on the south end of Lac Chaud.

References

External links

Official site
{{List of airports in Canada Certified airports in Laurentides