Article
CBRE Sells Distressed Helicopter Facility Near Quebec City Airport
June 15, 2026 3 Minute Read
CBRE’s Philippe Lambert and his team have completed the sale of 1688 route de l’aéroport, a 69,000 sq. ft. mixed-use building on 300,000 sq. ft. of land next to Quebec City airport that had gone into receivership.
“This is a really unique property,” says Lambert, referring to it housing a heliport and flight school. “It was also a long and tricky transaction, an effort spanning about two years.”
CBRE ultimately sold the complex to the Société Québécoise des Infrastructures (SQI), which plans to use it to store emergency helicopters that can reach difficult locations and transport patients in critical condition, Lambert notes.
“Given the complexity and unique use of the building, with great connections to the nearby airport, the SQI ended up being the ideal buyer.”
Unique Offering
Lambert and his team received plenty of interest for the property, though its specialized use as an aviation facility narrowed the potential buyer pool.
“We don’t see an offer like this very often,” he says. “As of now, large bay industrial spaces aren’t seeing a lot of activity in Quebec, and this one had a very specific use.”
Another hurdle was the property’s land lease, which had only 15 years remaining – a fraction of the typical 75- to 100-year term for similar airport land leases, according to Lambert.
And restrictive zoning for the site eliminated potential proposals for repositioning the asset.
“So we needed to move quickly on this sale,” says Lambert. “The longer we took to find a buyer, the less time they would have on an already shortened lease.”
“It required proactive communication and collaboration among CBRE’s Quebec City and Montreal teams.”
New Line of Business
Distressed property sales have become a new line of business for Lambert, who’s worked in commercial real estate for 11-plus years. “It’s a challenge,” he says. “But it’s one that we’ve become more adept at handling.”
In the case of this deal, he and his team had to undertake many tours, inspections, environmental survey reports, and provide a full scope of services in order to get the transaction across the finish line.
“Thankfully CBRE’s global platform means we have the resources and expertise to facilitate deals like this at a significantly faster pace than other providers are able to offer,” Lambert says.
“The quality of our team enabled us to provide the best service for our client and obtain the best possible result.”
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