It really doesn't surprise me that a recent study out of the University of British Columbia highlights Toronto's Pearson Airport as one of the least efficient airports in the world....along with being one of the most expensive to operate out of...with the highest landing fee's in the world! Of course, the report has the powers at Pearson up and arms and they want to be removed from the study results....gee...is that our friend up the 403 crying?
That brings me to Hamilton's very own Hamilton International Airport (CYHM)
I have three passions. My kids, selling homes in Hamilton....and flying. I'm an avid pilot, and I've had 100's of take offs and landings at Hamilton International and always look forward to visiting the Control Tower. The Tower is where you'll find the guys who know everything that's happening. It's hard to keep anything from...or get anything by the Air Traffic controllers. A lot of the controllers at Hamilton have a deep history with the Airport....and they all remember the day Westjet came. Westjet, with it's fleet of beautiful 737's, making Hamilton it's Eastern home. Wheels down at 7:35...unloaded, reloaded and ready for takeoff at 8:05. It was a finely tuned machine. The airport was busy back then.
Now, the radar shows a few bleeps of commercial carriers inbound to the field, however, with a click of a switch, the screen lights up with 20 or so bleeps, flying high overhead, en route to Toronto. One may almost sense that the controller takes it personally. Before Westjet moved the hub of their Eastern operations and over 50% of their Hamilton flights to Toronto in 2004, he'd be giving clearances to 3 or 4 of those planes to land on Hamilton's beautiful 10,000 foot main runway. Now, the flights are fewer and much farther apart, and the bright spot in the controllers lives seem to be the pilots out of Peninsulair, the last aviation training facility remaining at the Airport. When the weather is decent, there's always the single or twin engined planes calling for clearance in or out or perhaps one of the War Birds from the Museum is making it's rounds. That, mixed with any amount of larger, faster courier,corporate or commercial carrier traffic and the occasional F18, can keep an Air Traffic Controller's day fairly exciting.
Hamilton's' airport was originally built in 1940 by the military, and was known as the Mount Hope Airport. It had a purpose during the WWII, utilized by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The end of the war saw the Airport take up a civil aviation role and in 1964, the military ceased using it for their Air Reserve.
Mount Hope, the little town that hosts the Airport, is humble to say the least. There are 2 main roads. Airport Road and Homestead Drive, with a 4 way stop sign marking the intersection. A new subdivision has finally risen up to the south, on lands that had been zoned residential decades ago. The Super 8 Motel shines a sign that says "Vacancy" and the little general store in town opens at 8 am and closes at 10 pm. "Frankie's" is the only local restaurant/watering hole.
Regardless how you look at it, Mount Hope has fallen miserably behind the other little town in Glanbrook....Binbrook. The strange thing is...Binbrook doesn't have the Airport to bring thousands of travelers down it's streets on a weekly basis, yet that town is overflowing with development. People have often said that being so close to an airport is noisy....however, the fact is that planes very, very seldom fly over Mount Hope! Mount Hope is actually a very quiet place to live. There's not a single approach or departure path that would cause a plane to fly over the town....whereas the residents of Hamilton Mountain, Binbrook and Stoney Creek Mountain are sometimes alarmed when they look up to see the belly of a low flying jet on final.
Most of the commercially zoned land in Mount Hope seems to be owned by a handful of people, and every year "For Sale" signs go up....and "For Sale" signs come down. The prices go up and up and up....yet nothing ever gets sold, thus, "Mount Hope" proper is simply a stagnate little town with absolutely no new commercial growth. The street scape at the main intersection is destitute and dilapidated. But 1/4 of a mile down the road, things are happening. Terminals are being expanded, new buildings are being erected and there's plans for extending the 24/06 runway. The little town of Mount Hope is certainly poised for good commercial growth, the uncertain element to the equation....is when.
Today, Hamilton International Airport is home to Air Canada Jazz, Westjet, Globespan, Purolator, UPS & CargoJet and a few more, plus several Flight Service Operators which handle private and corporate aircraft. Hamilton International Airport is Canada's largest integrated courier airport.
Next time you're flying, experience true simplicity in Air Travel....and make Hamilton your boarding zone!
Now, just a few facts about Hamilton International Airport....from a pilot's perspective.
1) Travel to the Airport is absolutely fantastic...with no traffic jams on the ground...or in the air!
2) Parking....is abundant and cheap!
3) 2 - Tim Horton Locations!
4) Excellent runways...long enough to land any size of plane you're flying in.....in good or bad weather!
5) 24 hour a day operations.
6) 1/4 to 1/3 cheaper landing fee's than Big Sister "Toronto International" (Pearson)...so your flight may be less costly!
7) 5 minutes from touchdown to the gate.....making your Pilot's and Crew members happy!
8) 5 minutes from the gate to takeoff....making your Pilot's and Crew members happier!
9) 10 minutes thru security...making you happy!
10) And...with all this extra time you can visit the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum!
Hamilton International Airport....definitely not the "Worlds most expensive airport" to land at.... definitely not on the "World's Least Efficient Airport" list , however...it's only 40 minutes away from an Airport that is!