Quebec Jean Lesage International Airport

Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport frequently referred to as Jean Lesage International Airport represents the primary airport serving the Canadian city of Québec. YQB is the eleventh-busiest airport in Canada, with more than 1,670,880 passengers and 121,680 aircraft movements estimated in 2017. More than ten airlines provide 360 weekly flights to destinations across Canada, Central America, the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.

Quebec Jean Lesage International Airport

Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport frequently referred to as Jean Lesage International Airport represents the primary airport serving the Canadian city of Québec. YQB is the eleventh-busiest airport in Canada, with more than 1,670,880 passengers and 121,680 aircraft movements estimated in 2017. More than ten airlines provide 360 weekly flights to destinations across Canada, Central America, the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.

Overview

The facility was established in 1939, a year after the closure of the Aérodrome Saint-Louis. At first, the facility was built to serve as the training purpose for air observers. The first flight happened on September 11, 1941. Initially known as the Aéroport de l'Ancienne Lorette, then the Aéroport de Sainte-Foy, and later the Aéroport de Québec, it was renamed several times until it finally became known as Aéroport international Jean-Lesage in 1993. The property was named in honor of the former Premier of Quebec, Jean Lesage. The facility is operated and managed by Aéroport de Québec inc., which represents a non-share and non-profit corporation. The current terminal building holds a capacity of 1.4 million passengers every year.

From 2000

In 2006, Québec International Airport experienced a modernization that was aimed to increase the terminal's capacity and considerably enhance the level of service provided for passengers. The modernization included a restructuring of the luggage handling and arrivals area and the reconfiguration of the terminal on two levels. Fifty-four percent of the financing was granted directly by Aéroport de Québec inc. Finished in June 2008, the new configuration of the facility currently enables it to handle 1.4 million passengers annually.

Based on the commuters figures for 2009 and 2010, it became apparent that the terminal building would reach its design capacity by 2012. Aéroport de Québec is, planning further investments of nearly $300 million to reconstruct and expand the terminal building further. At the moment, the terminal includes 17 gates: 12 contact gates and five walk-out aircraft positions. This number should increase to 24 gates by 2025.

On July 4, 2011, work started on the second phase of the airport expansion, which lasted until 2017. Partly funded through an Airport Improvement Fee, the terminal building was doubled in size, at the cost of $224.8 million. The work included construction work on the runways, an expansion of the international facilities, taxiways, and de-icing pads, as well as improvements to customer service facilities. In 2013, runway 12/30 was renamed to runway 11/29.

The facility charges an Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) to each passenger; it is one of the highest in Canada at $35 per passenger.

In 2015 YQB was the 12th-busiest airport by the total amount of passengers, and in 2014 it became the 14th-busiest by aircraft movements in Canada. In 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated the addition of the airport to the list of Canadian airports containing U.S. border preclearance facilities.

In 2017, the first phase of YQB2018, the expansion project, was finished with the opening of the new international terminal. The new facility incorporates four new gates (34 to 37), improved and larger loading areas for buses and cars, and a more substantial capacity luggage area.

The last expansion phase was finished in 2019, with the international and domestic terminals being linked all together.

Also added as a component of the newest expansion are ten holes in the security fence installed at positions determined jointly by the airport authority and a local plane spotting group. These holes are sized to enable photographers to insert telephoto lenses and are held explicitly for their use. In 2019, the American website of Digital Photography Review called YQB "the number one spot for aviation photographers."