Brandon Municipal Airport

Brandon Municipal Airport (also known as Brandon Airport or McGill Field) (IATA: YBR, ICAO: CYBR) is an airport located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi)[1] north of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. It serves the City of Brandon and the surrounding regions of Western Manitoba and Eastern Saskatchewan, an area with a population of over 180,000 people.[5] The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a call-out basis. CBSA officers at Brandon Airport can handle general aviation aircraft only with no more than 15 passengers.[1]

"YBR" redirects here. For the Yamaha motorcycle, see Yamaha YBR125. For the color spaces used in video and digital photography systems, see YCbCr.
Brandon Municipal Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorMunicipality of Brandon
LocationBrandon, Manitoba
Time zoneCST (UTC−06:00)
 • Summer (DST)CDT (UTC−05:00)
Elevation AMSL1,343 ft / 409 m
Coordinates49°54′36″N 099°57′08″W
Websiteairport.brandon.ca
Map
CYBR
Location in Manitoba
CYBR
CYBR (Canada)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
08/26 6,510 1,984 Asphalt
14/32 3,068 935 Treated gravel/asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft movements21,591
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement[1] and Transport Canada[2]
Environment Canada[3]
Movements from Statistics Canada[4]

History

World War II

Brandon Aerodrome was originally built by the Department of National Defense in 1941, for use as a Royal Canadian Air Force flight training school under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Pilots were trained at the airport on Cessna Cranes and Avro Ansons, among other aircraft, for Second World War flying service. In 1945, the school was closed in conjunction with the end of the Second World War.

Portions of the former RCAF Station Brandon are now classified as a National Historic Site of Canada. The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum is a popular tourist attraction located at the airport that commemorates the BCATP and the former Station.[6]

Airline service in the 1980s

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), Perimeter Aviation was serving Brandon in the early 1980s with one flight every weekday to Winnipeg operated with a Beechcraft commuter aircraft.[7] Jet service arrived at the airport during the mid 1980s when Pacific Western Airlines introduced Boeing 737-200 flights operated on a round trip routing of Vancouver - Kelowna - Calgary - Brandon - Thunder Bay - Toronto six days a week in each direction for a total of twelve jet departures a week.[8]

Airline service in the 1990s

Two airlines were operating service to Winnipeg during the mid 1990s: Bearskin Airlines flying Beechcraft Model 99 commuter turboprop aircraft with four flights on weekdays and Perimeter Aviation flying Swearingen Metro commuter propjets with two flights on weekdays.[9] By 1999, Perimeter Aviation was operating one flight on the weekdays to Winnipeg with a Metro propjet while Athabaska Airlines was also operating one flight on the weekdays to Winnipeg with this service being flown with a Beechcraft 1900C commuter propjet.[10]

Airline service in the 2010s

On September 3, 2013, WestJet Encore launched daily non-stop service from Brandon to Calgary International Airport flown with Bombardier Q400 regional propjets.[11] From June 29, 2016 to September 5, 2016, WestJet operated a trial run of non-stop service from Brandon to Toronto Pearson International Airport utilizing Boeing 737 aircraft, later stating that the service may return dependent on demand.[12]

Facilities

The passenger terminal building is a 5,800 m2 (62,000 sq ft) facility that was originally constructed in 1963.[13] On August 19, 2014, a CAD$10.7 million redevelopment and expansion of the passenger terminal building was announced.[14] Construction began in spring 2015, and the newly expanded and upgraded terminal facility was opened to the public on May 10, 2017.[15][16]

Brandon Municipal Airport occupies a land area of about 736 acres (2.98 km2). The airport has two runways 08/26 and 14/32, although the infield grass can be used as a "strip" on request for smaller aircraft, such as ultralight aircraft. The area surrounding the airport, a total of 562 acres (2.27 km2), is leased out to farming operations for cereal grain and hay production.

Permanent tenants at Brandon's airport include the Brandon Flying Club, the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, and Maple Leaf Aviation. Fire and other emergency services at the airport are provided by the City of Brandon and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Brandon Municipal Airport is frequently used for air ambulance services, pilot training, Royal Canadian Air Cadets gliding, and general aviation. Its location on the flight path for aircraft flying between major cities in Eastern Canada and major cities in Western Canada makes it a preferred midway point for fuel, technical, and emergency stops.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
WestJet Encore Calgary

Ground transportation

Car

Brandon Municipal Airport is accessible by car from Manitoba Highway 10, approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Car rental services provided by Enterprise Rent-A-Car are available inside the terminal building at Brandon Municipal Airport.[17]

Taxi

Taxis are available on demand at Brandon Municipal Airport 24 hours a day. Airport taxi services are provided by numerous Brandon taxicab companies.

Shuttle

Brandon Air Shuttle provides shuttle service from Brandon Municipal Airport to Dauphin and other communities in Western Manitoba. Daily shuttle service is available and must be pre-booked.[18]

Future
WestJet Encore Q400 at Brandon Airport

Although it is the second largest city in the Province of Manitoba, the City of Brandon's smaller population in comparison to Winnipeg and the relatively close geographical distance between the two cities (200 km (120 mi)) has historically meant that the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is used as the province's primary airport. However, with the strong, stable economy and rapidly increasing population in Western Manitoba coupled with expanding oil production in the area, Brandon Airport is positioning itself to be a leading regional airport as the primary entry point to the City of Brandon, Western Manitoba, and Eastern Saskatchewan regions for both passenger and cargo air traffic.[13]

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References
  1. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. "Airport Divestiture Status Report". tc.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-09-30.
  3. Synoptic/Metstat Station Information Archived June 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Aircraft Movement Statistics: NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations: Annual Report (TP 577): Table 2-2 — Total aircraft movements by class of operation — NAV CANADA flight service stations". statcan.gc.ca.
  5. http://economicdevelopmentbrandon.com/trading-area
  6. http://airport.brandon.ca/index.php/explore-brandon/airport-history
  7. http://www.departedflights.com, April 1, 1981 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Winnipeg flight schedules
  8. http://www.departedflights.com, April 28, 1985 Pacific Western Airlines system timetable
  9. Sept. 15, 1994 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Brandon & Winnipeg flight schedules
  10. http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Winnipeg flight schedules
  11. "WestJet to launch service at Brandon airport". cbc.ca. 14 May 2013.
  12. "WestJet adds limited-addition summer routes". February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  13. Super User. "Future". brandon.ca.
  14. "Brandon airport terminal to get major upgrades". cbc.ca. 19 August 2014.
  15. "New terminal fully open at Brandon Airport - CTV News Winnipeg". winnipeg.ctvnews.ca.
  16. "New terminal now fully operational". westmanjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  17. "Car Rental Brandon Municipal Airport (YBR) - Enterprise Rent-A-Car". enterprise.ca. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  18. "Brandon Air Shuttle". brandonairshuttle.com. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
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