Security and Safety Security and safety of passengers represent a top priority at Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) and for the commercial airlines and charters that function at the airport. YMM also agrees vigilant security does not have to come at a cost to excellent customer service and continues to commit to providing commuters with memorable, comfortable, airport experience. If travelers have any immediate security or safety concerns, they can contact the Operations Centre of the airport at 780-793-8970. If passengers’ concerns are not immediate, they can fill out the Customer Feedback or Safety Reporting forms. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is in charge of the screening procedures of commuters and personnel and their belongings for travel. Transport Canada is in charge of maintaining the safety and security of travelers in the air and on the ground. The organization also sets and enforces the measures for airpo
Baggage Claim The baggage claim area is available at Fort McMurray International Airport. Passengers are welcome to proceed to the area where they can find their luggage on the baggage carousel. After picking up their belongings, commuters can request transportation by using the complimentary Wi-Fi or proceed to the car rental center for renting a vehicle and leaving the facility whenever they would like to.
The airport includes two terminals. Main terminal The sizable main terminal (opened in 2014) can be found on the south side of the runway and is used for commercial passenger service. The primary terminal (opened in 1986) is conveniently located on the north side of the runway and was reconstructed and re-opened in 2014 only to serve corporate flyers, workforce charters, and cargo. The main terminal building offers services for commercial travelers and houses CBSA, where international passengers and returning Canadians enter the country. The building is about 15,000 m2 (160,000 sq ft), or the equivalent size of 2.5 Canadian football fields. The terminal includes eight aircraft parking stands and four-passenger bridges. The terminal provides a lot of services for passengers, including: visitor information center and customer service a children’s play area a public observation area what includes interactive learning exhibits a naturally hea
Fort McMurray International Airport is located eight miles (13 kilometers) southeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. The precise street address of the property is 100 Snow Bird Way, Fort McMurray, AB T9H 0G3, Canada.
Transit Fort McMurray Transit represents a public transportation system provided by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, in the northeastern part of Alberta, Canada. Services include local scheduled bus routes, specialized transportation for passengers with special needs, and school buses, all available within the urban areas of Fort McMurray, the only major population center in the region. Twenty-four regular bus routes are operating daily with two additional weekday rush hour routes to the main industrial sectors as well as a particular Saturday service for people in Saprae Creek. The system offers reduced weekend service and does not run at all on most holidays. The Wood Buffalo Transit provides a bus route (Route 11) between downtown Fort McMurray and Fort McMurray airport seven days a week, with stops at eight significant hotels and at Keyano College. The bus stop is conveniently located curbside on the arrivals level.
Taxi Sun Taxi offers Delivery, Pickup, and Hotshot Services in Fort McMurray. Welcome to Sun Taxi, located in Fort McMurray and serving Thickwood Heights, Wood Buffalo, and the surrounding areas, oil fields, and camps. The agency offers excellent transportation services at reasonable prices, including taxi service, hotshot, disability services, airport transportation, and more. With over 40 years of qualifications and experience in the transportation business, passengers can be assured that they have received the assistance of a skilled, professional team. For learning more or scheduling taxi services, commuters are welcome to contact the firm in advance. Transportation Services Across Alberta The agency provides its services to a wide range of customers, from individuals to camps and construction sites or corporations and everyone in between. The agency also serves oilfields and camps and can go into remote locations. In addition to serving a w
Avis Avis Car Rental is conveniently available next to the baggage claim area at McMurray Airport, so picking up a great deal at the facility car rental from Avis’s fleet of McMurray airport car rentals could hardly be more convenient. Customers are welcome to accelerate their travel experience by using Avis Preferred, a complimentary membership that allows them to skip the line and go straight to their car. The drive from Avis’s airport car rentals lot to the heart of the city is only 10 miles, so travelers will be enjoying everything Fort McMurray has to offer in no time. Customers are welcome to proceed to the Avis desk in the baggage claim area. All rental cars are parked outside the baggage claim area. After parking and locking the vehicle commuters should place the completed contract together with the keys in the Drop Box available in the Returns area. Commuters should remember to take their personal belongings with them. Phone
Information Center The airport hosts a Visitor and Customer Information Centre by partnering with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and Fort McMurray Tourism. The center is available in the arrivals hall and to help passengers with essential details. Some of the provided services include securing transportation, finding accommodations, or assisting visitors in planning their stay while they are in Fort McMurray. Accessibility The new airport terminal is equipped with automatic doors, ramps, lifts, and passenger lounges, and the food court has barrier-free seating areas. Accessible parking stalls are conveniently located closest to the main terminal, with users required to display a veteran license plate or disabled person, or an accessible parking placard in the windshield. Commuters with wheelchairs or other mobility-assist devices are welcome to arrange for special assistance with airlines. Curb cuts and ramps are both available at bot
Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) provides commuters with both short-term and long-term parking. Lots are fully lit, equipped with accessible parking, and patrolled by security. Short-Term Fort McMurray International Airport offers 430 short-term parking stalls conveniently located in the lot closest to the terminal building. There is no specific time limit for short-term parking. The charges for parking are higher due to the added benefit of being closer to the terminal. The first 20 minutes of parking at the short-term lot is available for free. Hourly Maximum, including the first 20 minutes, costs $2.00. $3.00 charge is added for each additional hour. A daily maximum of parking in the short-term lot is available at the price of $25.00 For getting an annual pass, customers should pre-purchase the option available at the cost of $2,500.00. Long-Term Long-term lot provides more than 1400 stalls for drivers to park for several hours,
The Fort McMurray International Airport pre-security restaurants and shops are open to the passengers as well as the public. Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria is located at the food court area of the first level of the terminal. Commuters are welcome to visit and try out Neapolitan pizzas that are made with the finest authentic ingredients. Cooked in a bell oven from Italy, pizzas at the facility are prepared the same way as in Naples, and eaten ‘a libretto’ – folded like a book. The facility offers full service as well as a take-out and grab and go options. Operation hours: Monday to Friday: 9:00 am – 11:00 pm Saturday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm Sunday: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm Burger King Burger King is available in the food court area at the second level of the terminal. Commuters are welcome to visit and try out Fast Food options at the location or use the take-out service conveniently offered a
Fort McMurray International Airport represents the largest airport in northern Alberta. The airport has daily flights to Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Chipewyan, and Toronto through airlines WestJet, McMurray Aviation, Air Canada, and Northwestern Air. Sunwing airlines used to fly to seasonal destinations in Mexico 2012-2015. The facility is managed by the Fort McMurray Airport Authority, which represents a community-based not-for-profit organization that has operated at the airport since 2010.
The property has experienced a significant rise in commuters over the last ten years due to the considerable development of the Athabasca oil sands. Flights are often booked to capacity due to the high transient worker population and people unwilling to drive on Alberta Highway 63. In 2014, the airport served 1,308,416 travelers, ranking it as the 15th busiest airport in the country. As a result, a new $258 million terminal facility opened in 2014 that can accommodate 1.5 million passengers annually. Following the opening of the new terminal, travelers’ numbers declined every year to about 639,923 in 2018, ranking it the 20th most busy airport in Canada.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) set up a permanent service at YMM in 2013. As of 2018, there are no CBSA agents and no international flights at the facility.
Early 20th-century flights to Fort McMurray represented initially floating planes that used the Snyder River, a waterway that linked Clearwater River to the more massive Athabasca River. The very first landing strip for light aircraft was established in 1936 to connect Fort McMurray with Edmonton.
In 1942, Canadian Pacific Airlines improved the landing strip. That same year, the U.S. entered World War II, and the United States Army Air Forces took over the facility. They made further improvements to operate Allied air military operations in the Europe and Pacific war theatres. In 1944, the USAAF assigned custody of the airstrip back to the Canadian Department of Transport (currently Transport Canada).
The Department of Transport continued to make changes and improvements to the airfield, extending the runway to 1,829 m (6,001 ft) and paving it with asphalt in 1948. Later, Pacific Western Airlines took over management of the property from the late 1950s to the 1960s. In 1962, the airline company established the first permanent air terminal building.
Transport Canada continued to make improvements to the facility from the 1960s to the 1990s. The first permanent control tower was approved in 1981, and a larger 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) terminal started operations in 1986 to accommodate 250,000 passengers annually.
Higher demand made it needed to expand, including lengthening the runway to its current length of 2,287 m (7,503 ft) in 2007. The first airport authority Board was established in 2010 to become the Fort McMurray Airport Authority (FMAA), which currently manages YMM.
Fort McMurray became the fastest-growing airport in the country in the early 2010s, with air activity records decreasing in 2013 and 2014. The airport served approximately 1.2 million passengers in 2013, and about 1.3 million commuters in 2014. YMM became the 15th busiest airport in 2014.
Many travelers included people from outside Canada – especially foreign workers for the Athabasca oil sands. To make it easier for leisure and work air travel, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) established a permanent border entry into Canada at the airport in 2013.
More significant passenger numbers generated crowded conditions at the original terminal. The FMAA constructed a new $258 million terminal building that was approximately five times larger than the original and can accommodate up to 1.5 million passengers annually. The new terminal building was opened to travelers on June 9, 2014.
The facility temporarily stopped operations on May 4, 2016, because of an out-of-control wildfire that occurred in Fort McMurray.