Before this airport shutdown did anyone ever get to visit it? And if so was it a good airport or no?
Just recently stumbled across it on a Wikipedia article. Never heard of the airport until now. I didn’t get too far into reading as to why it was shutdown. Maybe it was in the beginning but I wasn’t aware.
Using the same Wikipedia article, I was able to find the following information:
Mirabel was originally going to replace the current Montreal-Tudeau International Airport (CYUL). Mirabel’s failure came down to a few factors, listed below:
Mirabel was significantly further from Montreal than YUL. This distance, compounded with a lack of public transportation options, made it very unpopular for passengers and airlines.
Toronto’s economy grew faster than predicted. This meant that more airlines were inclined to service Toronto over Montreal if the choice was required. This meant that Mirabel wasn’t required because YUL wasn’t overcrowded.
Aircraft range improved, meaning Montreal wasn’t being used as a stop-over for refuelling trans-Atlantic flights. This meant less traffic, and less need for another airport.
Between 1975 and 1997, all airlines operating international flights, except those to/from the US, were required to use Mirabel because the plan was originally to close YUL. This decision was later reversed leaving Mirabel in the dark.
That said, Mirabel is one of the locations of the final production line of the Airbus A220. It’s also one of Canada’s cargo ports, specifically for international cargo and is used for commercial service to this day, with 4 flights per week to Val-d’Or.
It’s definitely a shell of what it could once have become.
For anyone interested, here’s the link to the Wikipedia article. Please feel free to correct anything I’ve said if I’m wrong!