Traffic and Public Transportation - Airport

The Rimouski Airport is an important asset for the development of the regional community. Next door to the industrial park, the airport is located at the crossroads of highways, railways and maritime routes, and is less than three kilometres (2 miles) from downtown. Whether for business or pleasure, the airport serves the needs of all air passengers, as well as accommodating freight shipments. The Rimouski Airport is a service location for connections between the north and south shores of the Saint Lawrence, for business aviation, for pilot training and for recreational aviation and sports activities.

Exact Air has offices here and offers both regular flights and charter services. The Air-Liaison agency of Baie-Comeau operates an air services company from an office at the airport.

The Rimouski Airport is a hub hosting 4400 aircraft flights per year. As such, it is a service location for connections between the north and south shores and the major urban centres, as well as for business and recreational aviation and sports activities.

Aérogare Paul-Émile-Lapointe (Air terminal)

On October 1st 2005, after the completion of major renovations in the part of the terminal where airport activities take place, the City of Rimouski unveiled the new name of the terminal, that is, the Aérogare Paul-Émile-Lapointe, in honour of this pioneer of Quebec aviation.

Paul-Émile Lapointe was born January 30th 1922, at Saint-Éleuthère, known as Pohénégamook today. In 1933, while watching Italo Balbo’s famous squadron fly over his village, Paul-Émile Lapointe discovered his vocation. The Second World War prompted him to enlist in 1941 and he obtained his pilot's license on March 11th 1942, in Saint-Hubert. As a Spitfire pilot in North Africa and Europe, he would make 211 combat flights at the front.

In the fall of 1946, Paul-Émile Lapointe founded, with members of Rimouski's business community, the Syndicat d’Aviation du Golfe and Air Rimouski, which would be merged in 1953 under the name Quebecair. Quebecair’s growth was such that, by the 1980s, it had become the official air transportation provider for the Quebec government.

On April 27th 1975, Captain Paul-Émile Lapointe passed away, struck down by illness. The soul of the company from the very beginning until his untimely death at the age of 53, he had accumulated, in a relatively short time, an impressive total of 25,000 hours of flight time, the equivalent of almost 3 years in the air. He was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame on November 26th 2003.

In giving Captain Paul-Émile Lapointe’s name to the terminal, the City of Rimouski would like to honour the memory of one of the greatest pioneers of civil aviation in Quebec.

History of the Airport
The airport facilities bear witness to the heritage of the glorious past, dating from 1927 when the Department of National Defence undertook construction of the airport to create a terminal for the first Canadian airmail route. During the 1930s and ’40s, employment programs put forward by the federal government and defence needs during the Second World War allowed the airport to develop.

Starting in 1946, the City of Rimouski leased the airport from the federal government. The subsequent non-military use of the airport contributed to the development of Quebecair, which carried on its activities in Rimouski until 1969.

On April 20th 1999, the Rimouski Airport received airport certificate number 5151-1-Q208 from Transport Canada Civil Aviation. On April 19th 2002, the City of Rimouski acquired the airport from the government of Canada by a transfer agreement. Since that time, the City of Rimouski has been the owner and operator of the airport.

Airport Facilities
The 1402-metre (4600-foot) asphalt runway is 46 metres (150 feet) wide, accommodating turbo-prop aircraft and some jet aircraft with capacities of more than 50 passengers and a take-off weight of more than 22,680 kilograms (50,000 pounds). The airport is equipped with visual aids for the manoeuvring areas and electronic navigational aids that allow aircraft to make non-precision approaches. The Rimouski Airport is also equipped with a GPS approach system and two Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) systems.

Technical specifications

Airport Facilities	Use	Size
Traffic area	Intermodal activities Refueling Aircraft parking	Approximately 4500 m² (48,420 ft²)
Aérogare Paul-Émile-Lapointe (Air Terminal)	Common areas Passenger waiting area Administrative offices	Approximately 1226,28 m² (13,200 ft²), on two floors
Two hangars connected by a 1114,8 m² (12,000 ft²) two-storey building	Parking and storage	More than 3158,7 m² (34,000 ft²)

Telephone : 418 724-3177

Summary of Rimouski Airport fees

in effect from July 1st 2009 to June 30th 2010

Services	Fees	per Hour	per Day	per Month	per Year
Landing fees* (Exemption for single-engine piston aircraft less than 4000 kg with “State” registration)	16,15 $
Outdoor parking of single-engine piston aircraft less than 4000 kg			7,54 $ (after 24 hours on the ground)	48,47 $
Outdoor parking for other types of aircraft (Exemption for aircraft with “State” registration)			10,78 $ (after 6 hours on the ground)	64,64 $
Indoor parking for aircraft			21,54 $/day or 0,27 $/m² whichever is greater	129,26 $/month or 1,58 $/m²whichever is greater	91,56 $/month or 1,11 $/m² whichever is greater
Use of electrical outlets		5,40 $ (3 hours or less) 12,93 $ (3 to 24 hours)		107,71 $

*The landing fees for aircraft whose owners lease business space in the Rimouski terminal cannot exceed $107.71 per calendar month.

Note: Please contact airport personnel directly to rent hangar space and for access to electrical services.

Other fees may be billed to aircraft owners by the City of Rimouski.

AIRPORT MANAGEMENT