Longueuil's Saint-Hubert Airport inaugurated its upgraded runway on Thursday, a milestone in its quest to become a major regional air travel hub.

The runway is now large enough to support Boeing 737 and Airbus A220 and A320 aircraft. The airport is accepting charter flights for now.

Longueuil Mayor Sylvie Parent said the upgrade proves the airport is on track to one day offer air travel on par with service anywhere in the world, which she says will help boost the region's economic development.

"I want to reassure citizens that this will not be at the detriment of their quality of life," she added at the inauguration.

The airport has received complaints about noise from training flights in the past, said Charles Vaillancourt, president of the airport's administrative council. He said they have a noise management committee to deal with complaints from the public.

Charter airline Chrono Aviation is flying Boeing aircraft out of Saint-Hubert now that its primary runway can support larger planes. (Jay Turnbull/CBC News)

"We've had jet traffic for many years now," said Vaillancourt in an interview with CBC News. "Their noise footprints are much smaller, as they don't do circuits at low altitude. They're in and out very quickly."

The airport invested $17 million on the runway, more than $13 million of which came from the federal Airports Capital Assistance Program, which funds improvement projects for regional airports.

Charter airline Chrono Aviation is taking immediate advantage of the upgraded runway, flying two Boeing 737 aircraft out of Saint-Hubert.

"We can do better business at lower prices, and be more competitive," said Chrono co-founder Danny Gagnon, adding that Trudeau International Airport in Dorval and Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City did not have room to accommodate their flights.

Seeking business from discount carriers

Vaillancourt said their goal is to eventually make the airport the first choice for regional travellers flying in and out of Montreal.

"The train station is right across the street from the airport, so literally it is two stops from downtown," he said.

Not only is Saint-Hubert close to downtown, Vaillancourt says he also wants to capitalize on another selling point for secondary airports in major cities — flights with low-cost carriers.

Air travellers from southern Quebec looking for a deal usually fly out of Plattsburgh, N.Y., but the goal is to make Saint-Hubert their new airport of choice.

"We want to offer a cost structure that is compatible with the business models of ultra-low-cost airlines," he said, noting that discount carrier Swoop does not offer flights to Montreal, and that forthcoming discount carrier Canada Jetlines does not currently have Quebec in mind for its four-phase expansion plan.

Next steps are terminal, official designation

The runway is just one of many steps needed to transform the airport into a regional hub. Vaillancourt​ said the province's regional support fund (FARR), which provides money for development projects outside Montreal and Quebec City, is funding a "master plan" for the construction of a passenger terminal. That plan is expected to be made public next year.

Vaillancourt says the airport is also seeking designated airport status by Transport Canada, so they can receive support from Canadian Air Transport Security Authority for metal detectors and other security measures.

With files from CBC reporter Jay Turnbull