Sault Ste. Marie Airport


Sault Ste. Marie Airport,, is an international airport located west-southwest of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada at the far eastern end of Lake Superior and the beginning of the St. Mary's River.

History

The Canadian government opened the airport in 1961 and operated it until 1998, when it handed control over to the newly formed Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corporation under the terms of the National Airports Policy. Of the 23 Ontario regional, local, or small airports handed over under the policy, the Sault Ste. Marie airport is the only one not affiliated with a municipality, since the city of Sault Ste. Marie declined to assume control. In 2002, the SSMADC opened Runway Park, an entertainment and recreation area, on unused airport property to help generate revenue to support the airport's operation.

Historical airline jet service

Passenger

Cargo

Operations

The Sault Ste. Marie airport has equipment to support instrument approaches for all-weather operation, and a Nav Canada control tower. Air Canada Express operates four daily roundtrip flights to Toronto Pearson International Airport using Dash 8-300. Porter Airlines operates two daily roundtrip flights to Toronto Billy Bishop Airport using Dash 8-400. Sunwing Airlines Seasonal winter charters operate every thursday roundtrip flights to London International Airport to Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Its runways are designed to handle medium-sized transport jets such as the Airbus A320, Airbus A319 and Boeing 737; current operations to Sault Ste. Marie consist of Boeing 737 and Dash 8 aircraft.
The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency on a call-out basis from the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge. CBSA officers at this airport can handle aircraft with no more than 30 passengers.
A record number of passengers travelled through the airport in 2018, reach the new record level of 216,172 passengers.

General aviation operations

The airport hosts the flight-training campus for Sault College and the Sault Academy of Flight flying school, resulting in frequent training flights in the vicinity. The Sault Ste. Marie airport has frequent medevac, business aviation, and charter operations. It is a frequent stopping point for private pilots.

Ministry of Natural Resources Fire Management & Flight Training Centre

Sault Ste. Marie Airport is home to the Ministry of Natural Resources Fire Management Centre and Flight Training Centre. The 622-square-metre facility is the first of its kind in Ontario. It is equipped with one of the most advanced flight training devices available, which simulates the sights, sounds and motions of the CL-415 water bomber aircraft used to fight forest fires in Ontario.

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