Réal Lépine, General Manager of the YMX station, has been with the company since day one. At the time, he held a full-time job but would assist his brother, Mario Lépine, on his days off. Together, the two brothers were responsible for deicing and flight inspections. As the company was at its early stages, minimizing expenses was essential. Réal’s support was therefore greatly appreciated.
In 1994, Réal was primarily responsible for all safety-related aspects at the YMX station. He later witnessed the company’s rapid growth, particularly with the opening of new stations such as YUL, CLE, YOW, and others. Réal played an active role in the launch of many stations by providing operational support. In 2012, Réal was entrusted with the general management of YUL, in addition to his responsibilities at YMX. The torch was afterwards passed to Bernard Giguère, who has been serving as General Manager of YUL since 2023.
Réal fondly recalls his early days at YMX. Among the most memorable moments were the close collaborations with airlines and airport authorities, all united in ensuring the smooth execution of deicing operations. Despite the long hours and limited resources, the sense of pride in the work accomplished remains strong. A pivotal moment came with the arrival of the very first Beta in North America, a development that revolutionized the deicing industry by enabling operations with running engines.
“Despite the long hours and limited staff, there was an overwhelming sense of pride. The launch of the first Beta in North America, during a memorable evening that brought together clients, colleagues, and guests of honour, remains etched in my memory.” – Réal Lépine
The Early Days
In its early years, YMX handled both passengers and cargo flights. In 1994, Aeromag, in collaboration with Montreal Airport, played a key role in shifting deicing operations from the gates to the centralized deicing centre. At the time, Aeromag was fully responsible for managing the deicing centre, including traffic control, the recovery of deicing fluids, and their proper disposal.
By 1997, passenger flights had been transferred to YUL, leaving YMX focused solely on cargo operations. While YMX is considered a smaller station in terms of operational volume compared to the network’s 16 other stations, its unique structure introduces a certain level of complexity, particularly in workforce management. On average, approximately 25 daily departures are spread across a 20-hour window, not including ad hoc flights, which are often unplanned and require a high degree of flexibility and quick adaptability from the on-site teams.
What’s Next for YMX
The future of YMX looks promising and focused on optimization. A brand-new innovation centre will bring several departments together under one roof, marking a major advancement as the current infrastructure is spread across two sites located far from the deicing centre.
We are currently developing a project to pursue innovation while optimizing YMX’s operations. These initiatives are part of the company’s social responsibility plan, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. One thing is certain: innovation has always been at the core of Aeromag.
Let’s go further together.
