New Airport Opened Near Montreal: What Does MET/YHU Mean for Hungarians Traveling to Canada?

The new passenger terminal of MET - Montréal Metropolitan Airport has opened in Longueuil, on the south side of Montreal, and has been accepting commercial flights since June 15, 2026. This development primarily affects Canadian domestic travel, but Hungarian travelers should also note the YHU airport code, as it may appear as an alternative to the usual Montréal-Trudeau Airport on an increasing number of Canadian routes.

When planning trips to Canada, many Hungarian travelers have previously relied on a simple formula: for Montreal, international arrivals and departures mostly took place at Montréal-Trudeau Airport, and from there, the city program, the Quebec circuit, or Canadian domestic connections began. The newly opened MET - Montréal Metropolitan Airport, with the official code YHU, does not rewrite this picture overnight, but it adds an important new element. The airport is located in the Saint-Hubert/Longueuil area and, according to official airport communications, is approximately 15 kilometers from downtown Montreal.

The essence of the change is that Greater Montreal has gained a second airport gateway based on scheduled passenger traffic. This does not mean that long-haul flights arriving from Hungary or Europe will immediately move here. Rather, it is about a new, smaller, intended-to-be-faster airport option appearing in Canadian domestic and regional travel, which is more easily accessible from the southeastern side of the city. Those continuing their journey within Canada toward Vancouver, Toronto, St. John's, Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton, or other destinations will need to watch for both YUL and YHU in booking systems in the coming months.

What Exactly Happened on June 15?

The YHU Terminal teams welcomed the first passengers and commercial flights at the new terminal of MET - Montréal Metropolitan Airport on June 15, 2026. According to official announcements, the opening marks a new phase in the airport's operation: the goal is for the Montreal region to be able to use a second air hub alongside the larger international airport, offering a simpler, more efficient experience for airlines operating single-aisle aircraft and the passengers traveling on them.

The first major departure was a Porter Airlines flight from MET to Vancouver. According to a separate announcement by Porter, four departing routes began operation on the opening day: Vancouver, Toronto Pearson, Toronto City, and St. John's. The airline has scheduled additional Canadian destinations for the following days and weeks, including Edmonton, Calgary, Halifax, Charlottetown, Winnipeg, Moncton, and Hamilton. The company also indicated that the official airport code for MET is YHU, which should be specifically checked during ticket booking.

Based on local reports, the new terminal is 21,000 square meters, with nine gates, 900 waiting area seats, and two baggage claim belts. The facility was designed to handle up to four million passengers annually, while departing traffic may build up more gradually. This is natural for a new or newly repurposed airport: schedules, ground transportation, airline offerings, and passenger booking habits will adapt simultaneously.

Why Is This Interesting for Hungarian Travelers?

Currently, it is typical to reach Montreal from Hungary with a transfer, often through European or North American hubs. For those starting from Budapest, the entire route, connection time, and ticket type remain the most important in the initial search. However, the opening of MET/YHU may bring practical changes, as the second part of the Canadian journey—for example, a Vancouver, Toronto, Newfoundland, Quebec, or Atlantic Canadian leg following Montreal—may appear in new combinations over time.

This can be particularly useful for those who are not traveling exclusively to downtown Montreal but are planning a multi-stop Canadian tour. A typical Hungarian itinerary, for example, might include a few days in Montreal, followed by travel to Vancouver, Toronto, the Atlantic provinces, or smaller cities in Quebec. If one of the domestic legs departs from YHU, the choice of airport is no longer a mere technical detail, but a decision affecting the entire schedule: the time to get out of the city, the optimal location of accommodation, the baggage handling process, and the amount of buffer time may differ.

The most important lesson: YHU is not the same as YUL. The St. Hubert Airport / Montréal Metropolitan Airport is on the Longueuil side, while Montréal-Trudeau Airport operates in the Dorval area, on the other side of the city. If a booking involves an arrival at YUL and a departure from YHU, the passenger must change airports. This is especially important if two separate tickets were purchased, or if a delay in the international flight could jeopardize the Canadian domestic leg.

What Does the New MET Airport Offer?

According to MET's own passenger information, the airport's goal is a faster and simpler passenger experience. The terminal focuses on Canadian domestic and regional routes, and the official site highlights the services of Porter Airlines and Pascan Aviation. Pascan may be particularly interesting for regional connections in Quebec, Eastern Canada, and the maritime provinces, while Porter is building a broader national network based at MET.

From the passengers' perspective, the advantage of a smaller airport may be shorter walking distances, a more transparent terminal, and a targeted domestic offering. However, planning should be cautious with a newly opened airport. In the first few weeks, schedules, ground services, taxis, bus connections, parking, and passenger flows may still be under fine-tuning. This is not a reason to avoid it, but a reason for the traveler not to arrive at the last moment and not to build an unrealistically tight transfer between two separate airports.

According to the official MET site, the airport offers a transfer connection called METbus between the Longueuil metro station and the new terminal, running approximately every 35 minutes. This can be a convenient option for those arriving from the city, but Hungarian travelers should check the schedule freshly before departure, especially for early morning or late evening flights. Ground transportation at airports in Canada can be expensive, so it is worth comparing the costs of taxis, ride-shares, buses, and potential car rentals when creating the itinerary.

YUL or YHU: Which Should the Traveler Choose?

The answer depends on where you are arriving from and where you are going next. For international entry, YUL, or Montréal-Trudeau, remains the natural airport for most European routes. If someone flies from Budapest to Montreal with a European transfer, they will most likely arrive at YUL. From here, the western or central parts of Montreal, as well as many traditional international connections, may be more convenient.

YHU can become attractive if the Porter or Pascan schedule for the domestic part of the Canadian trip offers a better price, better time, or a more convenient destination. For example, in a Canadian tour following Montreal, it is conceivable that a flight departing from YHU is more favorable than the alternative available from YUL. Similarly, it may be interesting for those staying in Longueuil, the South Shore area, or the southeastern side of Montreal.

However, one should not look only at the ticket price. If the international arrival is at YUL and the departure is from YHU, the passenger must account for the time to change airports, traffic, re-checking baggage, Canadian immigration, and the fact that in case of a delay, a domestic flight bought on a separate ticket does not necessarily come with automatic protection. For multi-stop trips, a night in Montreal or at least a generous, multi-hour buffer may therefore be particularly valuable.

How Should One Book?

The first step is always to check the airport code. In Montreal, at least two important codes may now appear: YUL and YHU. In the case of Toronto, one must also be careful, as Porter may offer flights from MET to both Toronto Pearson and Toronto City; these are not the same airports, and their city connections differ. Those continuing their journey through Toronto should also check the connections of Toronto Pearson Airport, especially if searching for a long-haul or Europe-returning flight.

The second step is to check the ticket structure. In a single booking, on a single airline or partner network route, there is a greater chance that the passenger will receive rebooking assistance in case of a delay. With two separate tickets, however, a delay in the first flight can easily make the second ticket risky. This rule is not Montreal-specific, but is particularly important now because of the new YHU, as combinations may appear in booking systems that are cheap on paper but in reality require an airport change and significant ground time.

The third step is ground logistics. If the trip starts or arrives at YHU, check the METbus, taxi, accommodation, and potential car rental options in advance. If an overnight stay at YUL is required or the journey continues from there, it may be useful to compare accommodations around Montréal-Trudeau Airport and YUL airport transfers. If the program continues toward Vancouver, planning Vancouver airport hotels and YVR transfers can also help manage the fatigue of a long journey.

What Could Be the Long-Term Effect?

The opening of MET is not an immediate revolution in Canada's entire tourism market, but it clearly shows where air transport is moving: alongside large, crowded international airports, secondary, more easily manageable airports may play an increasing role. These can relieve the main gateways, provide new domestic routes, and offer local passengers shorter ground travel.

From a Hungarian perspective, this is interesting because Canada will already receive stronger attention in transatlantic travel in 2026. Toronto and Vancouver remain important gateways due to the large international routes, and Montreal is an attractive destination as a cultural, business, and French-Canadian experience. If the MET/YHU network expands stably, then several types of Canada itineraries may become realistic for Hungarian travelers: Montreal plus Vancouver, Quebec plus Atlantic provinces, or a shorter domestic leg after Montreal with Porter or Pascan Aviation.

The best strategy now is cautious openness. It is worth monitoring the new airport's offerings, but one should not automatically assume that every Montreal route leads to the same airport. Those who accurately check the codes, connection times, and ground transportation will find that MET/YHU can provide a real additional option. Those who only look at the lowest price, however, can easily choose a route that in reality involves an inconvenient airport change and little buffer time.

Summary

The opening of the new terminal at Montréal Metropolitan Airport is a fresh and important Canadian air transport development. Hungarian travelers do not need to watch it because Budapest-Montreal flights will start from there tomorrow, but because a new airport code, a new route network, and a new logistical decision point have appeared in Canadian domestic travel. Those planning Canada with multiple cities, domestic flights, or a flexible itinerary should check specifically from the summer of 2026: whether YUL or YHU appears on the ticket.