JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport

JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport is a regional airport located in Reserve Mines in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The airport serves the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) and the surrounding areas of Cape Breton Island.

The airport features two runways and one passenger terminal, along with several hangars and maintenance facilities.

The airport is served by Air Canada, WestJet Encore, and WestJet. Nav Canada classifies Sydney as an airport of entry by and as such is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport can handle aircraft with no more than 44 passengers with staged offloading of 200 passengers.

Infrastructure and operations
There are two runways at McCurdy, one with ILS-I capabilities and the other served by RNAV. The runways are generally aligned in the east-west and north-south direction and are served by two taxiways. The passenger terminal was built in the 1960s and has since been renovated. The airport serves general aviation, charter and business aircraft with a tarmac with built-in tie downs, self-serve pay-at-the-pump aviation fuel 100LL, a crew room and hangar facilities. Jet fuel provided by ASIG; Ground handling services provided by Airconsol Aviation.

Taxi
City Wide Taxi provides service at the airport. Arrangements can be made in advance.

Rented car
Avis, Budget and National/Enterprise car rental agencies are located in the air terminal building.

World War II
The airport was operated during World War II as a RCAF Aerodrome. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as RCAF Aerodrome - Sydney, Nova Scotia at 46.16667°N, -60.03333°W with a variation of 26 degrees west and elevation of 192 ft. The field was listed as "All hard surfaced" and had three runways listed as follows:

Renaming
On July 27, 2009, the Sydney Airport was renamed after John Alexander Douglas McCurdy. McCurdy was a Canadian aviation pioneer who first flew the Silver Dart, holder of Canada's first pilot's licence, and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952.

Misidentification for Sydney, Australia
Over the years, several travellers have been sent to this airport after they or their travel agents mistook it for the Sydney Airport in Australia. The most recent was on March 31, 2017 when a Dutch traveler booked his own flight.