The trip is over for some, it's time to go home and for others, the trip has only just started in Montreal. Your plane has landed, but you are still on the plane. What can explain this?
These are three essential elements for the smooth disembarkation of passengers: airport operations, weather and ground crew.
Your disembarkation from the aircraft is coordinated by airport operations. But what does the term airport operation mean? In the case of arrivals, it's everything that is done to ensure the smooth running of your arrival.
It begins with the assignment of the gates. Your airline plans in advance how they will use this gate at the airport according to their schedule with the help of our team at the traffic control tower (runway). However, even if your flight is assigned to a gate, you may have to wait a little longer, if you arrive earlier or later than expected and it is taken by another airline. This reality is especially applicable during peak hours, during which the gates are highly stressed due to the large volume of flights.
Our team at the traffic control tower takes care of coordinating aircraft traffic on the runway. The team must make sure the gate is clear before moving the aircraft to its gate or finding another alternative. Rest assured, our YUL teams are doing everything to adequately meet the needs related to the growth in passenger traffic.
The weather is one of the main reasons for the wait at YUL. Winters in Quebec are well known for their varied precipitation. As a northern airport, YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport has state-of-the-art equipment and a team of seasoned experts to face the weather of Quebec winters.
Whether it's a snowstorm, freezing rain or lightning cells, the team at YUL is doing everything they can. Operations can still be affected to ensure the safety of ground crews. In the event of a lightning warning, for example, employees cannot move on the tarmac, which has consequences for all ground operations: baggage transfer, refuelling, aircraft control, etc.
Ground personnel also play a very important role after your plane has landed. One team is responsible for directing the aircraft towards the landing gate and another is responsible for handling the baggage. Other members of staff are also on hand to take care of disembarking passengers.
Sometimes airline staff scheduled to arrive at your flight may be temporarily busy with another plane or on their way to your departure gate, which can cause waiting. Rest assured that your airline will spare no effort to coordinate your arrival.
