Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport welcomes Kalitta Air cargo flights through partnership with Dieppe’s Xtreme Cold Storage

GREATER MONCTON, N.B. – The Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport (YQM) is pleased to be welcoming Kalitta Air as a new cargo carrier to the airport.

Thanks to its partnership with Xtreme Cold Storage in Dieppe, Kalitta began making stopovers at YQM in August with shipments of lobster and other seafood destined for China. Kalitta flights are expected to continue their arrivals and departures at YQM.

“The initial Kalitta landing at the airport was particularly thrilling for the people who saw it coming in,” said Bernard LeBlanc, CEO of the airport. “There are a number of plane enthusiasts who have online apps to track the various comings and goings at the airport. We heard from a number of people that that there was quite a bit of excitement when they saw the large Kalitta Boeing 747 approaching the airport over Shediac. The plane caused quite a commotion because of its size!”

“The airport is very excited to be able to accommodate planes of this size to service local storage facilities such as Xtreme Cold Storage,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “We will be happy to work with Xtreme and Kalitta for as long as these shipments are required for their customers in Asia. It’s great to see such large aircraft being able to land here at YQM thanks to our advanced runway infrastructure. We made those significant capital investments exactly to accommodate services such as Xtreme Cold Storage and Kalitta Air.”

“It has been a long process to finally have a direct cargo flight from Greater Moncton to Ningbo, China. This major city in China is only a 2-hour drive to Shanghai, the largest city and top lobster destination of China. Thanks to the efficient cooperation between YQM, Airport Terminal Services (ATS, the ground handling company) and Xtreme Cold Storage, we are able to offer a competitive service to cargo airlines calling YQM a hub for lobster and other perishable products in the Maritimes” said Paul Farrah, President and CEO of Xtreme Cold Storage.

Kalitta Air was founded in 2000 and is based in Michigan. Its current cargo fleet includes 15 Boeing 747 freighters and two Boeing 767 freighters. The company provides air express delivery of virtually any type of freight through scheduled or on-demand charter service for customers.

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About Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport (YQM)

YQM is a progressive airport and the leading airport in the central Maritimes. 24/7/365 – everyone associated with the airport strives to provide superior air service to passengers travelling all over the world and to the global cargo industry -safe, convenient, efficient, bilingual and businesslike.
YQM also strives to maximize its contribution to local and regional economic and community development – it currently drives over $665 million of economic activity annually, making it one of the top private-sector economic contributors to New Brunswick’s economy. YQM is a member of Vantage Airport Group.

Your economy. Your airport.

For more information:
Julie Pondant
Corporate Communications Specialist
506-856-5459 or 506-962-2830
jpondant@cyqm.ca