Air Transportation

Transport Canada owns 20 airports which operate under a variety of management models. In compliance with the National Airports Policy, 9 of the airports have been transferred to local administrations or organizations by the end of 2001.

Dorval and Mirabel Airports in Montreal and the Jean Lesage International Airport, located in Quebec City, are the largest airports in the region. In 1992 a local organization, les Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), took on responsibility for the first two. The Jean Lesage Airport is to be transferred to the Société aéroportuaire de Québec.

Aviation is particularly important sector of activity in Quebec. There are some 13 489 licensed pilots in the region, 5064 aircrafts, 141 air carriers, 100 airports, 160 aerodromes, 21 chartered maintenance organizations, 12 manufactures, 42 distributors and 71 flying schools.

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Marine Transportation

Transport Canada is currently responsible for 78 ports, including harbour stations and marinas. In accordance with the National Marine Policy the Region expects to transfer 37 regional and local ports to local authorities.

The Port of Montreal is Canada’s largest container port and one of the busiest in North America. Containers are shipped by rail and truck to centres throughout Central and Eestern Canada as well as the Midwestern United States. The Port of Quebec plays an active role in the transportation of Western grain, natural resources and petroleum products. Ports at Sept-Iles and Pointe-Noire specialize in bulk cargo while Gros-Cacouna is involved in the exportation of Quebec forest products.

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Surface Transportation

The railway industry is very important in Quebec and has a major impact on development at the Port of Montreal. Major goods shipped by rail in the province include forest products, chemicals, minerals, ore and motor vehicles.

With the wide-scale restructuring of railroads in Canada, the region now has 22 rail companies under federal or provincial jurisdiction. Together, these companies operate over 6,500 kilometres of mainline and secondary track in the region.

VIA Rail, Canada’s national passenger carrier, is based in Montreal. VIA Rail’s trains link Montreal with Quebec City, the Gaspé peninsula, the Maritime provinces, the Abitibi and Lac St. Jean regions of the province, and Ottawa and Toronto in Ontario. Amtrak, of the United States, provides daily service linking Montreal with New York City.

The trucking industry is also a major industry in Quebec. Today, near 50,000 trucking companies operate in the region.

Transportation Equipment

Manufacturers in Quebec produce almost every type of transportation equipment imaginable. Bombardier produces aircraft ranging from the Canadair Regional jet to business aircraft such as the Global Express and the Challenger. Bombardier also manufactures recreational equipment such as SkiDoos and SeaDoos. Pratt and Whitney Canada is one of the world’s major manufacturers of regional aircraft engines that power aircraft such as the DeHavilland DHC-8 and the ATR-42. CAE Electronics produces flight simulators which are used by airlines around the world. Bell Helicopter is another major company located in Quebec. Bell is one of the world’s largest producers of civilian helicopters.

Other manufacturers of transportation equipment include NovaBus, which produces buses for urban transit, Prevost Car which produces buses for intercity use, Manac and Kenworth, which manufacture truck trailers and tractors respectively, General Motors which is the only facility in North America producing the Camaro, and - something a bit out of this world - Spar Aerospace, which created the space arm used aboard the United States space shuttles.