Aboutus
The Alma Airport is located at the heart of the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean area in the centre of the MRC Lac St-Jean Est. It is only 5 miles from downtown Alma.
Our airport infrastructure is owned by the City of Alma and managed by the Corporation d’innovation et développement Alma – Lac-Saint-Jean-Est (CIDAL). The airport has a modern terminal; built in 2000, it houses our administrative offices, a conference room and a waiting room for our customers. On the airborne side of things, we offer a paved track measuring 5000 ft. long by 100 ft. wide. It is fully equipped with cutting-edge technology for instrument flight.
Our services
Rates for airport services
Please note that the above prices do not include taxes and are subject to change without any notice.
Our team
Our history
October 1955
Work begins on clearing, logging and draining at the future runway site.
Image courtesy of the Société d’histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean
September 1959
Ownership of the site by the City of Alma is transferred to the Federal Government for $1.
August 1959
Construction of the gravel runway.
Image courtesy of the Société d’histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean
September 1961
Construction of the terminal (subsidy from the Quebec Government).
Image courtesy of the Société d’histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean
1962
Installation of runway lighting.
Image courtesy of the Société d’histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean
October 1975
Paving of the runway.
Image courtesy of the Société d’histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean
1979
Summer 1979
Installation of a non-directional beacon (NDB) by the City of Alma.
1979
Construction of the hangar for Air Alma.
April 1980
Beginning of the connection Alma – Roberval – Montreal with Air Alma.
September – October 1983
The entrance road is paved.
1984
Installation of the localizer and the distance measuring equipment (LOC – DME).
1985
Installation of fences around the airport site.
Repairs to the lighting system are completed.
1989
Installation of a new non-directional beacon (NDB).
Repair of the paved parking
Installation of a system to remotely control the runway lights: Aircraft Radio Control of Aerodrome Lighting (ARCAL)
Installation of marker boards
Partial reconstruction of infrastructure
1991
Removal of the transceiver.
Installation of remote control communications.
1997
Installation of a new lighting system.
1999
Draining of the runway.
Installation of an electric power system.
Purchase of new equipment.
2000
Construction of the maintenance hangar by the City of Alma.
Demolition of the terminal.
Construction of the new terminal.
2001
On December 31st, 2001, Air Alma officially puts an end to its operations.
2002
Arrival of Aviatech Products at Alma Airport.
Beginning of charter flights with Panorama Helicopters Ltd.
Installation of the ODAL system.
2003
Installation of a braking indicator system (GBI).
Purchase of a road maintenance truck.
2004
Purchase of a new road maintenance truck through Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP).
2005
End of the Pascan Aviation connections. This company linked Alma to Montreal from September 9th, 2002 to July 15th, 2005.
Beginning in September 2005, the connection between Alma and Montreal resumes with Starlink Aviation.
On November 29th, 2005, the company adds two new daily flights.
A hangar and headquarters are constructed for Panorama Helicopters Ltd.
A hangar is constructed for Starlink Aviation.
August 2006
International Air Rally.
2007
April 2007
On April 5th, 2007, the extension of the Alma Airport’s runway is announced at a press conference.
September 2007
On September 17th, 2007, work begins on extending the runway.
- Construction and paving of the runway structure with modifications to the draining system
- Moving of the fences, the ODAL system and the runway threshold lights
- Extension of the runway lights and moving of the LOC – DME
- Removal of all pavement markings from the runway
- New pavement markings on the 5000-ft. runway
November 2007
The extension of the runway is completed on November 17th, 2007.
December 2007
Launching of Alma Airport’s runway extension on December 17th, 2007.
2009
January 2009
On January 23rd, 2009, a press conference is held announcing the repair of the runway and the building of a sand warehouse thanks to the ACAP.
October 2009
End of the connection to Montreal with Starlink Aviation.
September 2010
Beginning of a new connection between Roberval, Alma and Saint-Hubert with Pascan Aviation.
2011
March 2011
On March 21st, 2011, a new connection begins between Alma and the North Shore.
June 2011
On June 30th, 2011, the Unmanned Aerial System Centre of Excellence (UAS CE) is officially launched in Alma, which will soon become the Canadian reference and a world leader in the field of civil and commercial UAVs.
July 2011
UAS CE concluded a first partnership with CAE of Montreal, a world leader in simulation technologies.
2013
July 2013
The Alma Airport obtains $2.5 M from the Federal Government for the construction of a building for the UAS CE at the airport. The building, including a hangar and offices, is completed in December 2013 and ready to welcome the 16 active members of the Centre.
October 2013
The UAS CE obtains a $325,000 grant from the Government of Quebec to upgrade its infrastructures, hire staff for the Centre, hold promotional activities in Quebec and abroad and organize networking events.
November 2013
For financial reasons, Pascan Aviation interrupts its transportation service from the Alma Airport.
Février 2014
Inauguration of new infrastructures for the UAS CE.
2016
Installation of an Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS).
2017
Merging with Tourisme Alma — Lac-Saint-Jean, the Centre local de développement Lac-Saint-Jean Est (CLD) and Alma’s city economic development service to create the Corporation d’innovation et développement Alma — Lac-Saint-Jean Est, best known under CIDAL.
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