Photo courtesy of YQB 2018

It’s not the busiest airport in Canada. It’s not even in the top five. But Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, has big plans for its future.

Even during murky economic times, Jean Lesage International Airport has seen a steady growth in passenger traffic. Last year the airport marked its 13th consecutive year of increased traffic. By year’s end, some 1,584,713 passengers had travelled through the Québec City airport.

“Despite an economic slowdown felt nationally and internationally, YQB achieved respectable growth,” said Gaëtan Gagné, president and CEO of Aéroport de Québec Inc.

In total, the airport experienced a 2 per cent growth in passenger traffic, with domestic traffic growing by 6 per cent and international traffic receiving a 3.2 per cent bump. More impressively, passenger traffic has nearly tripled since 2001, when the airport served 605,000 total passengers.

"Our growth can be attributed in part to two important decisions: making passengers our No. 1 priority and investing in the facilities needed to meet the ever-growing demand for airport services," explained Gagné.

Now, the airport is looking forward to 2020, by when it says it will be able to accommodate more than 2 million passengers annually. At the center of its growth strategy is the airport’s YQB 2018 project.

“YQB 2018 is a major undertaking for the Greater Québec City area because not only will it generate significant benefits during construction, it will also contribute to regional economic growth once finished,” said Gagné. “We are very proud of the project, which will allow us to accommodate two million passengers by 2020.”

The project, which commenced last spring, includes a plan for some 20 construction projects, including a major renovation of the terminal building, which will double in size. Additionally, a plan exists to implement state-of-the-art technology throughout. In total, some $277 million is being invested in the airport’s expansion.

Among the new facilities will also be a new preclearance center, which was first announced during a state visit to Washington D.C., when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  and President Barack Obama announced an expansion of the preclearance program between the two nations. (It was also announced that Toronto’s Billy Bishop International Airport would join the program.)

The implementation of a preclearance center will open up access for airport passengers to hundreds of American airports that don’t offer Customs and Border Protection (CBP) services onsite.

“Such a center is key to economic growth and tourism in the Greater Québec City area as well as eastern and northern Québec,” said Gaëtan Gagné, president and CEO of Aéroport de Québec Inc. According to airport officials, a survey revealed that some 95 per cent of Québec City residents have said they are in favor of such a center.

As the airport continues to welcome new passengers, it clearly remains a favourite facility for travellers. Earlier this year, the Priority Pass program recognized the airport’s VIP lounge as the best in North America, all categories combined. Furthermore, the airport consistently ranks at the top of the Best Airport in North America in the “0 to 2 Million Passengers” list by the Airport Service Quality Awards. It currently holds the second-place position, although it held the first place spot in 2010, 2011 and 2013.

Currently, more than 12 airlines offer service from Jean Lesage International Airport to destinations in throughout North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.

For more information, visit www.aeroportdeQuébec.com/en.

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