The Never-Ending Creep of Metropolitan Sprawl Claims Another Trophy in its Ceaseless Expansion

The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association has disclosed that the Cedars airport of Montreal will be closed on May 22, 2022. 

Aircraft owners at the property had been aware of issues with the lease held by the airport and flight school operator, Laurentide Aviation, with its renewal this spring up in the air. Development of the airport land has always been an increasing temptation for the property owner, and with values in the area skyrocketing over the past 2 years, the owner feels it's time to shut things down. Things are winding down at Cedars CSS3, as owners based out of the field begin their search for new aircraft parking nearby. 

The COPA notes that the closure may force some hands of owners, pushing them out of aircraft ownership altogether if the commute to another field, or tie-down costs are prohibitive. "The departure of Laurentide Aviation from Cedars removes a flight school that was well placed to serve the Island of Montreal and in particular residents from its West Island and off-island communities," said COPA. the lack of other suitable airports in the surrounding area will likely leave more than a few owners out in the cold. 

Unfortunately, space is always at a premium near cities, as Laurentide knows well. COPA notes that the FBO established itself at Cedar after it was forced to move from Cartierville airport just before its closure in 1980. Those owners too sought to maximize their profits from the development of land, sending the airport community ever eastward. The imminent closure of Cedar follows the 2016 closure of another small airfield, Mascouche. That airport has also been paved over and replaced like so many fields in Canada.  As COPA says,"Eventually, we will become a land of shopping centers, residential subdivisions, commercial developments and high-rise apartment buildings." 

FMI: www.copanational.org