No more night planes at Montreal-St-Hubert airport in Longueuil, as of April 2024
Posted February 3, 2023 2:51 pm.
Last Updated February 3, 2023 2:56 pm.
The City of Longueuil and the Montreal-Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU) have come to an agreement to prohibit night flights in order to not disturb the residents living nearby. This will be as of April 2024, for flights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The agreement follows a Nov. 2022 report by the consultation process by the Office de participation publique de Longueuil (OPPL). It showed that, while a majority of citizens saw the airport as a positive contribution to the economy, many of them felt that the quality of life of residents should be a priority for the city.
The YHU located in the Saint-Hubert borough of Longueil is focused on general aviation, hosting mainly small aircraft and serving as a site for flight schools.
For years residents have been complaining about the noise pollution they suffer, especially due to night flights. Noise complaints were mainly related to the flights of Boeing 737-200 planes that can reach 107.8 decibels at the end of the runway during takeoff, a level considered dangerous for human health.
In 2019, a petition launched by residents asked the federal government to take the necessary measures to reduce these nuisances.
The city and airport have also agreed to implement a noise monitoring system and to work together to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
In a press release, airport management and the City of Longueil also committed to participate in the Partners’ Table that would be “responsible for developing the vision for the Aerospace Innovation Zone and the resulting Specific Urban Plan” and to work hand-in-hand to identify 500,000 square metres of land owned by YHU that could be dedicated to the development of the Aerospace Innovation Zone.
Opened in 1927, the Montreal-Saint-Hubert Airport was among the first airports in Canada.
