Montreal International Fuel Facilities Corporation (MIFFC) is a not-for-profit company owned by a consortium of commercial airlines representing most of the domestic and international carriers serving Montréal-Trudeau International Airport. It has ensured reliable, safe, and efficient management of aviation refuelling operations since 1985, operating in Montreal for more than 30 years.
MIFFC is the owner of the fuelling infrastructure at Montréal-Trudeau airport and is administered by the FSM Group. As manager of fuelling operations, the FSM Group oversees a total of 15 airport fuel terminals in Canada, representing 6 billion litres delivered each year to airports and infrastructure valued at more than $600 million.
MIFFC intends to provide an even more reliable and secure supply to major airports in southern Québec and eastern Ontario, including Montréal, Macdonald-Cartier in Ottawa, and Pearson in Toronto. To this end, MIFFC will build and operate an airport fuel terminal on the Island of Montreal (Montréal-Est), in an area of the Port of Montreal already dedicated to the petrochemical industry and located between the Joseph-Versailles Boulevard and Durocher Avenue.
The project consists of building a marine terminal to receive airport fuel by ship into tanks located close to the seaway. Fuel will then be transported by pipeline, rail or truck using a railcar and tanker truck fuel loading station.
This project will enable MIFFC to diversify fuel supply sources, provide greater flexibility in the fuel distribution options, improve the safety and reliability of the jet fuel supply network and transport it more efficiently. Yet, according to available figures, it was found in recent years that the production of jet fuel was not sufficient to meet the demand. As shown in the graph below, airport fuel consumption is on the rise, despite the decline observed as a result of the pandemic. What’s more, passenger volumes at Canada’s eight largest airports in 2023 exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
In March 2014, MIFFC filed a project notice with the Ministry of Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP). The environmental impact study and the technological risk analysis were filed on November 6, 2015 and additional information was subsequently provided to the MDDELCC.
The project was authorized by decrees from the Government of Québec in June 2019 and June 2022.
MIFFC has therefore initiated the process of obtaining the required authorizations, permits, certifications and other approvals from regulatory agencies, and has obtained a number of them. Other authorization requests are being prepared or are currently being processed.
Preparatory work took place in November and December 2022. Construction began in fall 2023 and will span four years.
In partnership with WSP, the geotechnical engineering firm responsible for conducting the project’s impact assessment, we produced a summary of information on the terminal project, providing interested parties with an opportunity to learn more about the project’s impact. You can find it by clicking here: Summary of information on the project.