Planespotting Montreal — CYUL
Montréal–Trudeau, the old Dorval airport, is Canada's most international airport by share of passengers, and its traffic has a flavour you won't find elsewhere in North America: Air Algérie, Royal Air Maroc, Tunisair and Royal Jordanian alongside Air France, French Bee, Emirates and Qatar, plus Air Transat's leisure fleet and Air Canada's home base. Two parallel runways run northeast–southwest. Prevailing south-westerly winds mean most arrivals land on 24R, the longer north-western runway whose far end is near the Highway 13 / 40 interchange, while 24L, running alongside Autoroute 520, is the main departure runway. The old crosswind runway 10/28 was decommissioned in 2023. Bombardier has a large business-jet site on the north side of the field, so Global and Challenger aircraft are part of the scenery. Heavy jets face night restrictions, which compresses the European departures into a busy evening bank.
- ROU2065 A321 34 025 ft
- POE2315 DH8D 25 000 ft
- ACA832 B77W 8 300 ft
- POE493 E295 3 050 ft
- PRO4830 B190 1 900 ft
- KLM672 A332 1 350 ft RWY 24L
Conditions right now
Runways
- 06L/24R RWY 24R 3,361 × 60 m · 11,027 × 197 ft asphalt
- 06R/24L 2,931 × 60 m · 9,616 × 197 ft concrete
- 10/28 2,136 × 60 m · 7,008 × 197 ft asphalt
Ask the sky
What flew over this morning? Where was that loud one heading? Ask in plain words — the answer comes from real recorded traffic.
Airport profile
Typical traffic by hour
Relative intensity by local hour — a typical day, not live data.Peak: 18:00
Typical traffic mix
- Narrowbody56%
- Widebody16%
- Turboprop14%
- Bizjet7%
- Cargo4%
- GA2%
- Military1%
Spotter score
Our editorial rating (0–100).Best time of year
When the interesting traffic peaks.Where to spot
International jetty — far-end windows (airside)
The end of the international pier is an open hall with floor-to-ceiling windows and a skylight, looking onto widebody gates and remote stands. It's the closest you can get to the Air France, Emirates, Qatar and North African carriers' aircraft before departure.
- Getting there
- Airside only: you need a boarding pass for an international (non-US) flight and must clear security checkpoint A. STM bus 747 runs 24/7 from downtown to the terminal; the REM light-rail station is scheduled to open around 2027.
- Best time
- Late afternoon and evening, when the transatlantic departure bank is boarding. The low western sun is behind many of the gates in summer evenings.
- Lens
- 24–105 mm through the glass; a rubber lens hood helps against reflections.
Domestic satellite jetty (airside)
The satellite pier on the domestic side mostly handles turboprops with ground boarding, so you see Dash 8s and regional aircraft of Air Canada Express, PAL Airlines and northern Quebec operators up close, with the main runways and Air Canada's maintenance base in the distance.
- Getting there
- Airside with a domestic boarding pass, via security checkpoint A and the tunnel to the satellite.
- Best time
- Morning and late-afternoon regional banks.
- Lens
- 24–70 mm for ramp shots, 70–300 mm for the runway.
Marriott Montréal Airport In-Terminal hotel
The 275-room hotel opened in 2009 above the US departures hall and is connected to the terminal. Rooms on the airfield side face the ramp and taxiways — a comfortable base for a winter visit, when outdoor spotting in Montreal means serious cold.
- Getting there
- Inside the terminal, next to the transborder hall. Request an airfield-facing room on a high floor when booking and confirm the view; rooms differ.
- Best time
- Morning arrival bank from Europe and the evening transatlantic departures.
- Lens
- 70–200 mm through the window; switch off room lights at night to cut reflections.
Respect private property, signage and the airport security perimeter. Spotterra predicts the active runway from live weather on the dashboard.
What you'll see
Air Canada runs a hub with A220s — built just up the road at Mirabel — A320 family, 737 MAX, 787s and 777s, while Air Canada Express and PAL Airlines fly Dash 8s and CRJs across Quebec and the Maritimes. Air Transat's A321LRs and A330s and Porter's E195-E2s add colour. Long-haul visitors include Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, British Airways, TAP, Turkish, Emirates, Qatar, Air Algérie, Royal Air Maroc, Tunisair, Royal Jordanian, Copa and Aeroméxico. Air Inuit and Air Creebec serve the far north, Bombardier business jets come and go from the company's facilities on the field, and most freighters use Mirabel instead.
FAQ
What's that plane over Montreal?
Spotterra's live map identifies aircraft over Montreal, Laval and the South Shore in real time, with type, registration and route. Free, straight from the ADS-B network, no download.
Which runway is used most at Montréal–Trudeau?
With the prevailing south-west winds, most arrivals land on 24R and most departures leave from 24L. In north-east winds the flow reverses to 06L/06R. Spotterra predicts the active runway from the live METAR.
Is there an official spotting area at YUL?
Not that the airport advertises. The terminal's airside piers and the in-terminal Marriott are the reliable options; check local spotter groups for the current state of outdoor locations around Dorval and Saint-Laurent.
Where are Airbus A220s built?
At Mirabel, north of the city — not at Trudeau. New A220s occasionally appear at YUL, but Mirabel is where test and delivery flights happen.
Spotterra watches the sky over Montreal
A live ADS-B map of your area and smart alerts on military transports, warbirds and rare types — with 10–30 minutes lead on long-haul arrivals. Free forever, no card.
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