Fort McMurray International Airport

IT'S MENTAL HEALTH WEEK With the Mental Health Week theme Name it, don’t numb it, the CMHA - Wood Buffalo Region is asking all of us to #GetReal about how we feel. Here is a great resource from Some Other Solutions with a list of the region’s support services: https://loom.ly/7EopLXg... And you can learn more about Mental Health Week here: https://loom.ly/5bHyXnU #mentalhealthweek #mentalhealth #ymm #fmwb CMHA National / ACSM National

BACK TO THE FUTURE We’ve all learned to use our imaginations this past year to fly us to those destinations we can’t get to yet. So, we have a question for you... If you could fly back to the future, where would you go?

On Monday, May 3, our very own President and CEO RJ Steenstra will be joining the Edmonton International Airport, YYC Calgary International Airport and the Westaskiwin Regional Airport to discuss the state of Alberta airports in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can register here: https://loom.ly/Zisz5zM #airports #ymm #aviation #fmwb

LOCAL FOCUS Powermax Electric and Solar Ltd. is one of the over 70 businesses on the airport site employing people from the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region. Professional electrical technicians provide electrical, solar and specialty services right here in our community.... We encourage you to support local businesses whenever you can. See how Powermax can provide energy efficiency and green solutions to meet your needs. Learn more about the company on its website: https://loom.ly/o_mOJUM #supportlocal #ymm #flyymm #fmwb

YMM’s 2020 ANNUAL REPORT IS NOW AVAILBLE What a year it certainly was at YMM! Despite working against the pandemic backdrop, our team achieved great things. Read more about our journey from response to recovery as we navigated COVID-19. Click here: bit.ly/3eK26QP #airports #airlines #flight #weloveymm #iloveymm #community... #response #recovery See more

THE CLASSROOM? OUR RUNWAY The Fort McMurray International airport isn’t just for commercial airlines and business jets. For years, our partner McMurray Aviation has been helping folks become recreational pilots through their flight-training program. If you THINK flying might be for you, but aren’t sure, find out about their starter discovery flights here: https://bit.ly/2UEis42

OUR COMMITMENT Back in March, we introduced measures to enhance our existing health and safety program in response to COVID-19. The Fort McMurray International Airport is committed to fostering a healthy, safe and secure airport experience for our employees and our customers. You can get the details on our website: https://www.flyymm.com/ymmcommitted

UP IN THE AIR WITH SKIS Some popular destinations for Fort McMurray skiers are in the process of opening slopes for another season. Beginning your journey to the mountains at the airport is easy if you know the rules your airline has in place for special baggage. Here's some help on travelling with sports equipment like skis and snowboards from some of our air-travel partners: Air Canada:... https://bit.ly/38VlKbC Flair Airlines: https://bit.ly/36NQCI5 WestJet: https://bit.ly/2UFRRU4

WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED Who hasn't forgotten something in the rush to catch a flight? If you show up at the Fort McMurray International Airport without proper face covering, you're still good, because vending machines located near the information desk on the Arrivals level are now serving up N95 masks. You can also grab 60-ml bottles of hand sanitizer while you’re there! (Masks are $6 and the hand sanitizer is $2.50.)

WHAT’S COMING AND GOING Did you know you can check the status of flight arrivals and departures at Fort McMurray International Airport on our website? It’s all right on the home page here: https://www.flyymm.com/

WARM UP TO A WINTER SEAT SALE! Our air-travel partner Flair Airlines has unveiled a seat sale that can get you from Fort McMurray to Toronto or Vancouver (and back) at great prices. See Flair's booking calendar for deals from Dec. 1 through March 31: https://flyflair.com/deals... (Check Wednesdays and Saturdays for Flair's flights in and out of Fort McMurray.)

GOING INTERNATIONAL You could say that Fort McMurray's airport got an early start at going international in 1942. That's when the U.S. Army and its air force moved in, not long after that country entered the Second World War. Canadian and U.S. forces took advantage of a recently upgraded landing strip to turn the airport into a base supporting war-time efforts that included pipeline-building farther north.

THEY GET AROUND An interesting visitor to the Fort McMurray airport at the end of the 1950s was this Convair 540 in the livery of Convair's Canadian subsidiary at the time, Canadair. Montreal-based Canadair produced a few of these 540s by adding Napier Eland turboprop engines in place of the piston engines on the U.S.-built Convair known as the 440 Metropolitan. We don’t know why this particular aircraft (N440EL) stopped at Fort McMurray, but registration information suggests... it was in the U.S.-based Allegheny Airlines fleet (with the other Convair 540 conversions) by the end of 1959. In the 1960s, this same plane found warmer climes with the former Venezuelan airline, Avensa, which had the plane converted to a Convair 580 through modifications that included another engine swap. (Other Convair 580s have been produced by converting 340 and 440 models of the planes. In fact, Allegheny had this plane converted back to a 440 before selling it to Avensa.) In the small world department, Convair 580s outfitted with special retardant-dropping tanks were among the aircraft used to fight the Horse River Wildfire here in 2016. And Canadair? It eventually became part of Bombardier Inc., but not before it developed the Challenger business jet and the CT-114 Tutor, a two-seater still flown by the Canadian Forces’ aerobatic team, the Snowbirds. You can see N440EL in its Allegheny Airlines livery here: https://bit.ly/3nviFD5

COVID RULES: WHERE CAN YOU TRAVEL? Today, social-distancing orders or travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic are in place most anywhere you want to go. But exactly what the rules are at each destination can change with little notice. The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable has an online tool that can help you keep up with pandemic restrictions in locations across Canada and in countries around the world. The Roundtable’s Where Can I Travel Right Now? interactive map connects you with information on local regulations wherever you may be headed. Get started here: https://bit.ly/2GFLIUw

Today we remember those who served and sacrificed for freedom.

AIRPORT SAFETY: WE’RE ON IT This is Canadian Airport Safety Week and staff at YMM kicked things off today in a virtual way with some online sessions focussing on environmental safety and our airport’s COVID-19 mitigation measures. In the aviation industry, protecting against foreign object damage (FOD) to planes and other equipment is important for safety on and off the runway ... and it’s a key theme for our staff during Safety Week sessions. That’s why we’ll be leaving the ...virtual world for a socially distanced foreign-object hunt later this week. Stay tuned!

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD The Fort McMurray International Airport is the epicentre of air travel in Wood Buffalo. Our neighbourhood is also home to dozens of businesses from flight-training operations to restaurants and retailers. You will always feel at home here at YMM.

Our commitment to providing a healthy and safe air travel experience is unwavering. Achieving ACI-World Health Accreditation is one way we are honouring our commitment. Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM.

A NAME OF FAME Clennell Haggerston "Punch" Dickins was a native of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, but followed military service with the kind of bush-pilot exploits in Northern Alberta and elsewhere to earn the moniker "Flying Knight of the Northland." And he’s the reason Dickinsfield here in Fort McMurray is spelled that way! Dickins is on the left with Bill Pubilicover in this photo, thanks to the Fort McMurray Heritage Society. Dickins and other early names in Wood Buffalo’s aviation history are featured on the Wall of Fame at the Fort McMurray International Airport.

WHERE ADVERTISING TAKES FLIGHT One thing people do in airports is wait. Fort McMurray International Airport can help businesses get their message in front of those people. PATTISON Airports, a Canadian market leader in airport advertising, is our partner in bringing these opportunities to your business. This video tells you more.

OUR FIRST FLIGHT WITH FLAIR Wednesday, August 26th marked the inaugural flight out of Fort McMurray International Airport by Flair Airlines, directly to Vancouver. Some of us kept going to Victoria and then back to Fort McMurray and it was a celebration all the way around! Every week, travellers can fly Flair between Fort McMurray, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria at great prices. To learn more about Flair Airlines and to book your next ticket from Fort McMurray, visit the Fly Flair website: https://flyflair.com/

CANNABIS & TRAVEL: KNOW THE RULES It’s legal for air passengers to travel within Canada carrying a MAXIMUM of 30 grams of cannabis. But don’t make the mistake of taking that across an international border or CONSUMING it anywhere on airport property (including outside). Consumption of cannabis IN ANY FORM is prohibited in public places under Regional Municipality bylaws.... Learn more about cannabis and air travel on our website: https://www.flyymm.com/cannabis

YMM airport 1st to achieve Global Health Accreditation in Western Canada. Read more...https://www.flyymm.com//ymm-airport-first-to-achieve-globa "Our enhanced health and safety program, YMM COMMITTED was rolled-out in early March, and has been received with positive feedback from airport users. That combined with achieving this accreditation validates for us that we are taking the appropriate steps to reduce the risk of exposure at YMM." ... - RJ Steenstra President & CEO of YMM airport

BRING YOUR MASK Regardless of local rules regarding the use of face coverings during the pandemic, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority requires that passengers wear masks at screening checkpoints. Unless you have a medical exemption, you’ll need your facemask to check in, so we recommend wearing it all the time when you are in the terminal. You can read all CATSA rules in response to the pandemic here: https://bit.ly/2RgzyTR... Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM.

YOUR TRIP BEGINS HERE Our air-travel partners Air Canada, Flair, McMurray Aviation, Northwestern Air Lease and WestJet can get you to where you want to go and bring you home again. Start your next journey at Fort McMurray International Airport.

Our #FallSeatSale starts NOW! Every route. Every destination. On flights up to December 16, 2020. See for yourself at flyflair.com/deals *Sale ends September 23, 2020 at 11:59pm MDT.

OUR FLIGHT HERITAGE The Snye has been a big part of aviation history in Wood Buffalo. And it was particularly handy when your craft was a flying boat, like in this photo from around 1930. The photo comes from the Fort McMurray Heritage Society and its collection of images belonging to Eugene Burton. The Fort McMurray International Airport celebrates the rich history of aviation in Northern Alberta through exhibits in our Observation Area.

WE’RE A NO-DRONE ZONE! Drones (sometimes called unmanned aerial vehicles) can be fun to fly and have many business applications, but flying in prohibited airspace near an airport can put lives at risk and cost drone pilots up to $25,000 in fines maybe even jail time. Transport Canada has the information drone operators need to fly safely: https://bit.ly/2Rgbvo5

HAND SANITIZER ALLOWANCE To help meet the challenges of COVID-19, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority now allows each passenger to carry a bottle of hand sanitizer up to 355 ml. That's in addition to the non-solid food and personal items that travellers are used to keeping in containers 100 millilitres or less all stowed in a clear plastic bag no larger than 1 litre. You can read all CATSA information for travellers in response to the pandemic here: https://bit.ly.../2RgzyTR Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM.

YMM COMMITTED Back in March, we introduced measures to enhance our existing health and safety program in response to COVID-19. YMM Committed is our pledge to our customers, employees and guests. We will continue to live by our values, providing a healthy, safe and secure air travel experience. You can get the details on our website: https://www.flyymm.com/ymmcommitted

DRIVE IN FOR MENTAL HEALTH We are proud to help support this great cause Drive In For Mental Health, presented by Arctic Spa and ATB. For more information and tickets, please visit gordbamford.com.

Thank you to the Arts Champions who make the 2020 Wood Buffalo Excellence in Arts Awards: Midnight Steampunk possible! We are thrilled to welcome back our Midn...ight Event In-Kind Sponsor Fort McMurray International Airport - YMM. Read more about their support for the Wood Buffalo arts community at https://artscouncilwb.ca/ar/acwb-flies-with-the-ymm-airport. #buffys2020 #ymmartstogether See more

This week marked the start of service to our 5 new destinations: Fort McMurray, Prince George, Regina, Saskatoon and Victoria! Thank you to everyone who took part in celebrating and showed up to get a glimpse of the inaugural flights! Ready to take off? Visit flyflair.com

Flair Airlines touched down at the Fort McMurray International Airport for the inaugural flight to Vancouver, then onto Victoria. This marked the first commercial flight landing for Flair Airlines in the region. "Air transportation connects communities and economies, generating benefits for both cities through tourism, leisure, business and cargo." - RJ Steenstra, President & CEO of YMM Airport Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM. Wood Buffalo Economic Development Fort McMurray Tourism https://www.flyymm.com//flair-airlines-touches-down-at-ymm

Today YMM was pleased to host a health and safety tour with key representatives from Alberta Health Services, federal, provincial and local officials. YMM COMMITTED is our enhanced health and safety program. It is our pledge to our employees, customers and guests. We are committed to living by our values, providing a healthy, safe and secure air travel experience. Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM. Rebecca Schulz MP David Yurdiga Tany Yao Laila GoodridgeMayor Don Scott

Congratulations to our three winners of two flights on @Flair Airlines inaugural flight to Vancouver! Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. Looking forward to seeing everyone on board! Amanda Mack please email [email protected] to claim your prize

Just a reminder that our Flair Airlines contest closes at 6pm today, so you have a little more time to get your name in! Tune in tomorrow at 12pm on Facebook to watch the draw and find out who our lucky winners are!

WIN A TRIP FOR TWO ON FLAIR AIRLINES' INAUGURAL FLIGHT TO VANCOUVER! In celebration of Flair Airlines coming to YMM, we want to send you and a friend on the inaugural flight to Vancouver on August 26. Prizes include round-trip airfare and hotel for three nights.... There are THREE prizes up for grabs, so be sure to tell your friends! Thanks to Flair Airlines, Tourism Vancouver and Sheraton Hotels, our lucky winners will stay at the iconic Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel a landmark on the downtown Vancouver cityscape and just a short distance from Stanley Park, Canada Place, Yaletown and Robson Street. During your stay, you can enjoy a walk or cycle through the temperate rain forest in Stanley Park, try kayaking on the Pacific Ocean with views of the city and mountains, or relax with a picnic on one the many beaches in Vancouver. HOW TO ENTER 1) Comment on this original post with a photo of you in your favourite vacation outfit. 2) Tag the person you would bring with you if you won. 3) Tag the official Flair Airlines Facebook page and our Fort McMurray International Airport page. THE FINE PRINT Winners are encouraged to take part in the inaugural flight August 26, returning August 29, however the flights and hotel offers don’t expire until December 15, 2020. Contest closes August 20 at 6:00 p.m. MDT. Only those who meet the contest criteria will be entered to win. Our three winners will be announced on the Fort McMurray International Airport’s Facebook page August 21 at noon MDT. Contest rules apply https://flyflair.com/contest-rules. Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM. Wood Buffalo Economic Development Fort McMurray Tourism Inside Vancouver

There are so many reasons to Explore Wood Buffalo. Birchwood Trails are just one of them. Our big beautiful backyard is waiting for you this summer. Get out there and enjoy! #ExploreWoodBuffalo Fort McMurray Tourism Wood Buffalo Economic Development

Don't miss this great deal Fort McMurray! Sale ends tonight, August 7, 2020 at 11:59 pm MDT. Learn more and book now with promo code BOGO2020. https://flyflair.com/companion-sale #flairfliesfurther #flyflair #flyhealthyflysafeflyymm Flair Airlines Wood Buffalo Economic Development Fort McMurray Tourism

Just in time for YMM's inaugural flight on August 26! Flair Airlines is offering a 2 for 1 companion sale. Even more reason to book now to Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto. Wood Buffalo Economic Development Fort McMurray Tourism #flairfliesfurther #flyflair Destination Toronto Destination Greater Victoria Inside Vancouver

Direct flights to Toronto, Ontario are back! Book now and join our inaugural Flair Airlines flight on Aug 26. Learn more https://bit.ly/30XI8vk Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM. #flairfliesfurther #flyflair #iloveymm Wood Buffalo Economic Development Fort McMurray Tourism Destination Toronto

Psst...did you know that starting August 26, you can fly from Fort McMurray International Airport - YMM to Victoria, British Columbia in approximately 3 hours? Learn more and book now https://bit.ly/2P6b52z. Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM. #flairfliesfurther #flyflair #iloveymm Wood Buffalo Economic Development Fort McMurray Tourism Destination Greater Victoria

We are so excited for our inaugural Flair Airlines flight to Vancouver Bc on Wednesday, August 26. Have you booked yet? Learn more and book now https://bit.ly/39FZVuE #flairfliesfurther #flyflair #flyhealthyflysafeflymm #iloveymm Fort McMurray Tourism Wood Buffalo Economic Development Inside Vancouver

YMM is excited to announce, we are safely expanding domestic air service to Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria with Flair Airlines. Fly Healthy. Fly Safe. Fly YMM. Read more...https://www.flyymm.com//ymm-safely-expands-domestic-air-se. #itstimetotravel #flairfliesfurther #flyflair Wood Buffalo Economic Development Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

YMM would like to congratulate Keyano College and McMurray Aviation on the launch of the business aviation program. #aviation #weloveymm #rmwb

YMM airport took part in the Wood Buffalo Economic Development's Business Recovery Task Force, supporting the road ahead for local businesses, including our airport businesses. #airport #timetotravel #leadership #weloveymm #iloveymm

Today YMM's President & CEO, RJ Steenstra extended a BIG thank you to the Mayor's Advisory Council on Youth (MACOY). These community leaders represent the brightest and best in our region and they go above and beyond to support YMM Parent's Top 20 Under 20 Awards, sponsored by the Fort McMurray International Airport - YMM. #MACOY #youthleadership #weloveymm

YMM airport is critical community infrastructure and remains operational 24/7. Air Canada, McMurray Aviation, Northwestern Air Lease and WestJet are all operating flights at YMM. Please check with your air carrier for updated schedules and flight times.

The health and safety of our customers is paramount at YMM. With new precautionary measures in place for more than three months, we are ready to welcome back all of our guests. We support this important initiative. See open letter http://time-to-travel.ca. #customercare #timetotravel #cdnpoli Canada's Airports Wood Buffalo Economic Development

Fort McMurray International Airport - YMM is a proud partner within the critical infrastructure community and we remain open for emergencies and important domestic travel. Here are some of the ways we are keeping our guests and ourselves safe, while continuing to provide critical air service in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo