Hamilton International Airport Overview
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (IATA: YHM, ICAO: CYHM), simply known as Hamilton International Airport or sometimes Toronto Hamilton International Airport,[6] is an international airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The airport is part of the neighbourhood of Mount Hope, 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) southwest of Downtown Hamilton and 64 km (40 mi) southwest of Toronto.[2] The airport serves the city of Hamilton and adjacent areas of Southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area. The airport is sometimes considered as a reliever for Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The airport opened in 1940 as Mount Hope Airport, which was primarily a Royal Canadian Air Force base. The end of World War II saw the closure of the base, and its conversion to civil use attracted regional and international passenger services with connections to major Canadian cities and seasonal destinations. Regular services to the U.S. ceased as nearby Buffalo Niagara International Airport gained popularity for cross-border travellers in the region, but Hamilton remained an important base for a number of domestic and transatlantic low-cost carriers.
Hamilton is designed for use by large airplanes on overseas flights, and includes a 10,006 ft × 200 ft (3,050 m × 61 m) asphalt runway with centreline lighting for low-visibility operations, and a smaller 6,010 ft × 150 ft (1,832 m × 46 m) asphalt runway. It is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). As Canada’s “largest overnight express cargo airport,”[7] Hamilton handles large cargo operations with aircraft such as the Boeing 747 or Antonov An-124. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is located adjacent to the airport.