Community Near US-Canada Border Actively Seeking Airline Service

After months of anticipation, the ribbon was cut Friday on the new passenger terminal at Plattsburgh International Airport, marking the readiness of the massive aviation complex to begin hosting passenger services for the Plattsburgh-Montreal-Lake Placid region. Now, the airport just needs airline service.

In the presence of more than 100 invited guests, including a number of aerospace and aviation business leaders from neighboring Montreal, the airport officially dedicated the 35,000 square foot terminal, due to begin receiving its first planes sometime in June.

The terminal and related improvements were funded with $20 million in grants provided by the US Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration. It represents the final phase of a five-year conversion of the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base into a multi-purpose regional airport and aerospace park.

Community officials note PBG is already a fully operational industrial airport, hosting a number of aviation and aerospace tenants -- including Pratt & Whitney Canada, Bombardier, Wood Group, Precision Jet Management, Top Aces and the northern border air wing of the US Department of Homeland Security, among others.

Its massive and flexible facilities include a 12,000 foot concrete runway, a 12 million square foot concrete apron, and 1.5 million square feet of aviation industrial space. It also features multi-modal assets including a direct interchange on Interstate Highway 87 and direct access to the main Montreal-New York City line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, including a siding and new railyard. The Port of Montreal is just one hour away by rail or road.

Plattsburgh also has no night curfews or flight restrictions, and enjoys remarkable weather with 97% VFR conditions. It has been designated a Foreign Trade Zone by the federal government, and also an Empire Zone by New York State, making it virtually a state tax free zone for many enterprises.

Plattsburgh expects to attract air carriers seeking a low-cost opportunity to serve the 3.5 million people of metropolitan Montreal, just one hour north, while also serving as a long awaited airport for nearby Lake Placid and the northern New York region as well. Because of the strong financial support it continues to receive from Washington and Albany, the airport is both debt free and profitable, allowing attractive costs and terms to be offered.

The new terminal sports four gates and a jet bridge, and a design that will allow easy expansion in the years ahead. It will also feature free parking as an added value to the traveling public, and all interior signs are in both English and French, to better serve visitors destined for Montreal.

FMI: www.plattsburghinternationalairport.com/