However, with space limited in Dorval, the federal government decided to build a new airport in Montreal. With this new airport being built in Mirabel, this caused a decline in traffic. When Mirabel opened, Dorval remained in operation to serve flights that were between Montreal and other Canadian and United States destinations. With two airports operating flights at the same time as well as planes that can now travel longer distances, many airlines decided to skip Montreal and land in Toronto. Dorval siffered a decline in traffic from the time Mirabel was opened until 1997, when international flights that were previously served by the Mirabel airport returned to Dorval.
With the return of international flights to Dorval in 1997, the airport finally became a true hub. Airlines that previously left Montreal returned to the city, and Dorval airport experienced a renaissance. This renaissance has led to multiple expansions of the airport terminal, with the first being done in 2000. This expansion modernized the international sector of the terminal. In 2004, the federal government decided to rename Dorval in honor of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, which is ironic, as Trudeau supported Mirabel as the airport of the future for Montreal. In 2009, Trudeau completed renovations of the terminal serving United States bound passengers, making the area bigger and more modern. In 2017, Trudeau's international terminal was expanded again to support the growing amount of traffic in Montreal. There are plans to expand the international portion of the terminal again, and that work is set to get underway in the coming months. Today, Montreal-Trudeau airport is the foirht busiest by aircraft movements, only surpassed by Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, and Calgary.
The airport is well integrated to the city of Montreal. Highway 20 gives easy access to the downtown core (when it is not under construction). Highways 520 and 40 offer quick ways for drivers to get to the most populated areas of the city. Highway 13 connects the airport to the borough of Lachine and to the city of Laval. Public transit offers a 24/7 shuttle bus from the airport to downtown Montreal. Via Rail has a train station nearby that makes it easy for those that travel along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor to access the airport if they arrive by train.
Airport Information
Montreal/Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau Airport | |
---|---|
ICAO code | CYUL |
Owner/Operator |
Owner: Transport Canada Operator: Aeroports de Montreal |
Runways | 3 ashpalt runways: 06L/R, 24L/R, 10/28 |
Aircraft Movements (2017) | 235 099 |
Elevation | 118 feet MSL |
Address |
975 boul. Roméo-Vachon Nord Dorval, Québec H4Y 1H1 Canada |