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Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is an airport in Ottawa, Ontario. Its IATA Airport Code is YOW, and its ICAO Airport Code is CYOW. It is the 6th busiest airport in Canada after Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver International, Montreal-Trudeau, Calgary International and Edmonton International. It handled 3.3 million passengers in 2003.
It is named for Sirs John A. Macdonald and George-Etienne Cartier. Despite the airport's official name, it is also often referred to simply as Ottawa International Airport.
 Ottawa International Airport The airport underwent an expansion in 2003, with the opening of a new terminal building.
Passenger Information
Scheduled Airlines
Macdonald-Cartier Airport is part of Canada's busiest air commuter route between Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, and is also the hub for flights to the eastern Arctic, including Iqaluit.
The following airlines fly to Macdonald-Cartier International Airport:
Transit
OCTranspo (http://www.octranspo.com) bus route 97 provides frequent express service to downtown along a dedicated transitway at a cost of CAD 2.60 cash or CAD 1.80 with tickets (2005-01), with connections to the train and bus stations. Airport limos and shuttle buses are also available, and there are several rental car agencies located at the airport.
Pilot Information
Location and Layout
Ottawa / Macdonald-Cartier Airport is located at N45 19 21 W75 40 09, with an elevation of 374 ft MSL and a magnetic variation of 14 degrees west (2005).
The airport actually consists of two distinct airfields connected by a taxiway. The smaller north field, originally referred to as Uplands, was originally founded by the Ottawa Flying Club in the late 1920s and then used by Trans-Canada Airlines, the predecessor of Air Canada. The north field is still popular for general aviation, although only one of its runways, 04-22 (3,300 ft), is still in use, and the runway does not have instrument approaches or night lighting.
The south field consists of two longer runways, 07-25 (8,000 ft) and 14-32 (10,000 ft), designed for jet airliners. Runways 07 and 32 have ILS approaches, and runways 25 and 14 have localizer backcourse approaches. The public passenger terminals are tucked into the north side of the intersection of the two runways, while the two general aviation FBOs for the south field are nearer to the threshold of runway 25.
Customs services for private aircraft are available at the two FBOs, Shell and Esso, on the south field.
VFR Arrival Routes
Ottawa Terminal and Ottawa Tower generally route VFR traffic to stay out of the arrival and departure paths of the jet runways, especially if the traffic is heading for the north field. VFR aircraft arriving from the southwest, south, or southeast (i.e. from Toronto or the U.S.) will nearly always be instructed to fly direct to the town of Manotick, at the edge of the airport's control zone, and then to approach the airport from there. VFR aircraft arriving from the west will be directed either to the Bell's Corner's subdivision west of the airport if runway 04 is in use, or to the Champlain Bridge on the Ottawa River if runway 22 is in use. Arrivals from the north will generally be directed to the Champlain Bridge for either runway. There is no standard VFR arrival route from the east.
Runways
- 04-22
- 3,300 ft x 75 ft, asphalt, unlighted; threshold 04 displaced 250 ft (trees)
- 07-25
- 8,000 ft x 200 ft, asphalt, lighted
- 14-32
- 10,000 ft x 200 ft, asphalt, lighted
Runways 07, 14, and 22 have right-handed circuits. Circuit altitude is 1,500 ft MSL.
Communication Frequencies
MacDonald-Cartier Airport is required to provide air traffic services in either English or French, according to each pilot's preference; all controllers are bilingual. The following radio frequencies were in use at the airport as of 2005-01:
- ATIS (English)
- 121.15 MHz
- ATIS (French)
- 132.95 MHz
- Clearance Delivery
- 119.4 MHz
- Ground Control
- 121.9 MHz
- Tower
- 118.8 MHz
- Terminal
- 127.7 MHz
Ottawa Terminal controllers now work out of Montreal rather than Ottawa, but they still respond to "Ottawa Terminal" and use the same frequencies. IFR arrival and departures are handled by Montreal Centre (135.15 MHz for arrivals, 128.175 MHz for departures).
Navigation Aid Frequencies
- VOT
- 111.8
- NDB
- Ottawa (OW) 236 KHz (rwy 25); Moody (ZOW) 334 KHz (rwy 07); Greely (YRR) 377 KHz (rwy 32)
- VORTAC
- Ottawa (YOW) 114.6 MHz Ch 93
- DME
- Ottawa (IOW) 109.5 MHz Ch 32
- ILS
- IOW 109.5 MHz (rwy 07), IRP 110.3 MHz (rwy 32)
Nearby Airports
There are several smaller alternative airports available for visitors to Ottawa, all of which have paved, lighted runways and year-round operations (and all but Rockcliffe have published instrument approaches):
- Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport (CYRO): 8 nm NE
- Ottawa / Gatineau Airport (CYND): 13 nm NE
- Ottawa / Carp Airport (CYRP): 15 nm W
- Smiths Falls-Montague Airport (CYSH): 25 nm SW
- Arnprior / South Renfrew Municipal Airport (CNP3): 30 nm W
Fees
As of 2005-01, the landing fee for a private piston plane at Macdonald-Cartier airport is CAD 15.00 per landing, or CAD 30.00 per month flat rate for frequent users. The fee has been a matter of some controversy, and has reduced the number of private aircraft visiting the airport. There are no other airport fees for private piston aircraft, though the FBOs will charge overnight fees for parking.
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