Visiting Sarnia, Ontario: With an Airport Named For Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield, Born in Sarnia

[This short article mentions in passing some of the various companies active at this air facility. For details of these companies' services, their managements should be contacted directly.]

It's not often that someone gets to be an astronaut.

It's even less often that someone gets to have the airport of the city of one's birth bear one's name.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield (1959-) is such a person, and Sarnia, Ontario is the city in question.

Indeed, from the International Space Station in December 2001, astronaut Chris Hadfield succeeded in taking a locally famous photograph of the city of his birth, of which I have supplied a link (1).

Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport is situated at 1500 Airport Road, Sarnia, in Ontario's Lambton County; the facility is a short distance from exit 9 of Highway 402. I have supplied, above, a view of the terminal building, and (below) a view of the 1900D aircraft type which Air Canada Express uses (operated by Georgian Airways) for its Sarnia - Toronto Pearson service. While Air Canada Express is today a well established carrier at Sarnia, in the past, Nordair Airlines and Sarnia Express were operational locally (2)

Sarnia Airport was built in the 1950s, and scheduled flights began in 1959 — the year of the City's famous astronaut's birth, as it happens.

Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport is operated by Scottsdale Aviation Inc., on behalf of the facility's owner, the City of Sarnia.

Services to air travellers to Sarnia are complemented by a wide variety of local hotel accommodations.

For many years, Sarnia has welcomed aviators on training programs. In 2018, the facility hosted members of the Mexican Air Force — Fuerza Aérea Mexicana (FAM; see logo, below)— in professional development activities.

April 18, 2019

Notes

(1) See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarnia#History (NB: Copyright restrictions apply to direct reproductions of the locally famous photo; hence a link instead): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarnia#History

(2) http://www.sarniaairport.com/index.php?page=flight-info

Some sourcing: Wikipedia

In Sarnia itself, known widely for the Blue Water Bridge linking the City to Port Huron, Michigan, USA, visitor attractions include the Stones 'N Bones Museum, and the City's many parks; Sarnia Bay Marina is popular for its Canada Day fireworks, Lobsterfest and Labour Day Weekend activities; there are some 19th century heritage properties, including Discovery House, dating from 1869-75; Heritage Sarnia-Lambton collaborates with a number of local museums; see: http://www.lambtononline.ca/home/residents/museums/Pages/HeritageSarnia-Lambton.aspx ; and many others.

In London, Ontario (distance: 111.8 kilometres) prominent buildings and visitor attractions include: Eldon House; St. Paul's Cathedral; the Middlesex County Court building; the former Armouries; the Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

Kitchener (distance: 218.8 kilometres); Woodside, former home of long-serving Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King is a National Historic Site of Canada.

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How to get there: Air Canada Express flies to Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport, from Toronto Pearson Airport, from where there are wide North American and other connections. Car rental is available at Sarnia Airport. VIA Rail serves Sarnia, connecting with Windsor, London and Toronto, and other cities. Some facilities may be withdrawn without notice. Please check with the airline or your travel agent for up to date information. Please refer to appropriate consular sources for any special border crossing arrangements which may apply to citizens of certain nationalities.

MJFenn is an independent travel writer based in Ontario, Canada