Neighbours petition against Montreal airport’s proposed extended hours

Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport is considering changing when planes can land and take off by allowing flights until 1 a.m.

Public consultations on the idea just wrapped and some of those living near the airport have started a petition opposed to the idea.

On Thorncrest Avenue in the Montreal suburb of Dorval, a plane flies overhead every few minutes.

Currently, light aircraft can fly all night, but heavier planes are not permitted to take off between midnight and 7 a.m.

They cannot land between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.

The airport wants to change that and restrict all movements from 1-6 a.m.

“That’s just five hours,” said Dorval resident Anna Campagna. “The rest of the 24-hour cycle is going to be taken up with flights as usual.”

Campagna is gathering signatures to oppose the plan, saying five hours of silence is not enough.

“Health science tells us the adult population needs seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, minimum,” she said.

The Montreal airport authority (ADM) did not reply to a CTV News request for comment.

Campagna has sent around 200 signatures in and is still waiting for the ADM to set up a forum, so residents can voice their concerns.

“In 2019, they promised to set up a good neighbour committee,” she said. “So ADM, make good on that promise.”

According to airport documents, in 2011, 14 million passengers passed through its gates. In 2023, that number was up to 21 million.

Campagna has lived in the neighbourhood for 37 years and said the disruptions have only gotten worse.

“Smelling fuel really is upsetting,” she said. “Hearing the revving of the engines like in the evening when you open your door on this street, it’s very upsetting.”

She’s worried that with the new plan, that noise will become her new summer soundtrack until 1 a.m.