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Montreal Metropolitan Airport

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"Montreal/Saint-Hubert Airport" redirects here; not to be confused with Saint-Hubert Air Base or Saint-Hubert Airfield.

MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport
MET – Aéroport métropolitain de Montréal
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorDASH-L (Développement Aéroport Saint-Hubert de Longueuil)
ServesGreater Montreal
LocationLongueuil, Quebec, Canada
Hub for
Operating base for
Built1927; 99 years ago (1927)
Time zoneEST (UTC−05:00)
 • Summer (DST)EDT (UTC−04:00)
Elevation AMSL90 ft / 27 m
Coordinates45°31′05″N 073°25′01″W / 45.51806°N 73.41694°W / 45.51806; -73.41694
Websitewww.metmtl.com
Map
CYHU is located in Quebec
CYHU
CYHU
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06L/24R 7,801 2,378 Asphalt
06R/24L 3,922 1,195 Asphalt
10/28 2,420 738 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft movements116,721
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[1]
Environment and Climate Change Canada[2]
Movements from Statistics Canada[3]

MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport (IATA: YHU, ICAO: CYHU) (French: MET – Aéroport métropolitain de Montréal),[4] formerly known as Montréal Saint-Hubert - Longueuil Airport (Aéroport Montréal Saint-Hubert - Longueuil) or Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport, and still commonly referred to as St-Hubert Airport, is located in the Saint-Hubert borough of Longueuil, Quebec. The airport is located 16 km (9.9 mi) east of Downtown Montreal and 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) east of downtown Longueuil.[1]

It is one of two airports with scheduled airlines located in the Montreal area, alongside the primary Montréal–Trudeau International Airport. As of 2023, it is ranked as Canada's 12th busiest airport by aircraft movements.[3]

At present, the airport mainly serves travellers to Quebec destinations; however, a major expansion is scheduled to occur in June 2026 with the opening of a new passenger terminal designed to handle commercial passenger flights with a capacity of nearly 4 million passengers per year, and the introduction of services to destinations across Canada by Porter Airlines.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a call-out basis from Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. CBSA officers at this airport can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers.[5]

History

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Canada became involved in the Imperial Airship Scheme during the 1926 Imperial Conference, when prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King pledged Canada's assistance to Great Britain. Money was set aside for the construction of an airship base, airport and mooring mast in eastern Canada.

British experts came over in May 1927 to choose a site, and visited a number of locations in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. They settled on a piece of land on the south shore of Montreal, at Saint-Hubert, and officially announced the decision in August 1927. Work on the airfield began almost immediately and Saint-Hubert’s first airmail delivery took place in November 1927.[6]

Also during the summer of 1927, the British Air Ministry decided to send the R100 to Canada. On August 1, 1930, the R100 airship arrived after what was possibly the first non-stop passenger-carrying powered transatlantic flight across the North Atlantic to land in Canada.[6]

In the late 1930s, the airport was used by Canadian Associated Aircraft to build the Handley Page Hampden.

Canada’s first air traffic control tower opened at the Saint-Hubert Airport on April 13, 1939.[7] It was Montreal's first and only airport until the opening of Dorval Airport (now Montréal–Trudeau International Airport) in 1941.

Pascan Aviation's fixed-base operator lounge in the airport

The airport was divided into two sides, a military side along with the Pratt & Whitney Canada facility (facing runway 06L/24R) and a civilian side (facing runway 06R/24L). Today the military base, the former RCAF Station St Hubert, has ceased operations, but the Canadian Armed Forces still use the base as a garrison comprising the tactical helicopter unit, 438 Squadron, 34 Service Battalion and 34 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters. The ex-Pratt & Whitney hangar is owned and operated since 2012 as the largest fixed-base operator on the airport by an AvJet branded dealer: CYHU H-18 Services Inc. Their hangar is the newest[as of?] addition to the fixed-base operator network: HUB FBO.

Following the new National Airports Policy announced by Transport Canada in 1994, ownership of the airport was transferred to a private corporation, Développement de l'aéroport Saint-Hubert de Longueuil (DASH-L), on September 1, 2004.[8]

The body of Quebec minister of labour and deputy premier, Pierre Laporte, was found at the airport during the 1970 October Crisis.[9]

Recent upgrades and expansion

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In 2018, the runway was upgraded to accommodate larger aircraft and attract low-cost carriers.[10] It was announced on February 27, 2023, that Porter Airlines will develop a new passenger terminal at the airport that is due to be completed in late 2025 and provide domestic flights throughout Canada.[11]

In 2024, it was unveiled that Saint-Hubert Airport would be rebranded as Montreal Metropolitan Airport (Aéroport métropolitain de Montréal) with the abbreviation "MET".[12]

The airport's new passenger terminal was unveiled in March 2026 with an opening date set for June 15, 2026 and with Porter Airlines as the launch carrier.[13] The airport will be connected by a bus service operated by the Réseau de transport de Longueuil to the Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke station on the Montreal Metro.[14]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Pascan Aviation Bonaventure, Gaspé, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Québec City, Saint John (NB)[15]
Porter Airlines Calgary (begins June 17, 2026),[16] Edmonton (begins June 16, 2026),[16] Halifax (begins June 17, 2026),[16] Hamilton (ON) (begins June 22, 2026),[16] Québec City (begins June 15, 2026),[16] Toronto–Billy Bishop (begins June 15, 2026),[16] Toronto–Pearson (begins June 15, 2026),[16] Vancouver (begins June 15, 2026)[16]
Seasonal: Charlottetown (begins June 18, 2026),[16] Moncton (begins June 19, 2026),[16] St. John's (begins June 15, 2026),[16] Winnipeg (begins June 18, 2026)[16]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On March 17, 2017, about 13:00 EDT (17:00 UTC), a midair collision occurred on the southeastern side of the airport, over the city of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. The two planes collided at an approximate altitude of 1,100 ft (340 m) over the Promenades Saint-Bruno, both aircraft being Cessna 152 owned by Cargair flight training school. One plane crashed on the rooftop of the shopping mall, injuring the pilot. The other crashed in the parking lot, killing the pilot. The owner of Cargair indicated that both pilots involved in the crash were from China.[17][18]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Montreal Metropolitan Airport.

References

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  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 27 November 2025 to 0901Z 22 January 2026.
  2. ^ "Synoptic/Metstat Station Information". Retrieved March 16, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Aircraft movements, by class of operation, airports with NAV CANADA services and other selected airports, monthly". Statistics Canada. February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport". Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  5. ^ "Site Name: Montreal St-Hubert Longueuil Airport - CYHU". Canada Border Services Agency. August 22, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Fortier, Rénald (1999). "The R.100 in Canada" (PDF). National Aviation Museum. Public Services and Procurement Canada. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  7. ^ "Canada's First Air Traffic Control Tower Celebrates 85th Anniversary". Nav Canada. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  8. ^ "Transfer of Saint Hubert Airport to Développement de l'aéroport de Saint-Hubert de Longueuil (DASH-L)". Transport Canada (Press release). Government of Canada. September 13, 2004. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  9. ^ Zimonjic, Peter; Barton, Rosemary (October 13, 2020) [October 12, 2020]. "50 years after October Crisis, son of Pierre Laporte reflects on father's death". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  10. ^ "Saint-Hubert Airport upgrades runway to attract ultra-low-cost carriers". CBC News. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  11. ^ Luft, Amy (February 27, 2023). "Porter to provide passenger flights out of Montreal's Saint-Hubert Airport". CTV News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  12. ^ "Saint-Hubert Airport gets new name, branding". CTV News. The Canadian Press. February 1, 2024. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  13. ^ "Montreal Metropolitan Airport unveils new terminal, will open in June". Global News. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  14. ^ "New terminal at Montréal Metropolitan Airport set to open this summer". Global News. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  15. ^ "Pascan Aviation New Brunswick Network Addition From Sep 2024". Aeroroutes. August 13, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l "All new. All easy. All Montréal. The all-new Montréal Metropolitan Airport opening summer 2026!". Porter Airlines. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  17. ^ Laframboise, Kalina; Smith, Stephen (March 18, 2017) [March 17, 2017]. "1 dead after planes collide above shopping centre on Montreal's South Shore". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  18. ^ Montpetit, Jonathan (March 18, 2017). "'Papa November Papa, are you listening?': Air traffic control's frantic message before Saint-Bruno crash". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.

Bibliography

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  • Jesse, William. "Breaking New Ground: The Canadian Government's First Civil Aerodrome". Air Enthusiast, No. 55, Autumn 1994, pp. 14–15. ISSN 0143-5450
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