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Starting Tuesday, travellers flying to the U.S. from downtown Toronto will be able to go through customs before departing Billy Bishop airport.
That’s due to the opening of a new pre-clearance facility at the island airport, which politicians and officials announced at a news conference Monday. Canada’s Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon told reporters the addition would make travel “faster, more convenient and more reliable.”
“This airport is a critical role as a gateway to the city, particularly for those visiting for business,” he said. “This new facility is a win for passengers and a win for commercial and economic activity.”
The new facility is opening as Porter Airlines and Air Canada expand the number of U.S. routes from Billy Bishop, said Roelof-Jan Steenstra, CEO of Toronto Port Authority, the airport’s owner. The authority has been trying to add pre-clearance at the airport for over a decade, he said.
Transport Canada Minister Steven MacKinnon, left, and Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, right, announced Monday that a new pre-clearance facility would open at Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport this week, allowing travellers to the U.S. to clear customs before departure. (CBC)
But pre-clearance is also coming at a time of strained trade relations between the U.S. and Canada, which has in part discouraged many Canadians from travelling south over the past year.
The U.S. ambassador to Canada made a stir last fall when he said Washington might have to rethink airport pre-clearance due to the declining number of travellers from Canada going through it.
Minister MacKinnon called pre-clearance operations “examples of exceptional bilateral cooperation that benefit folks on both sides of the border,” on Monday.
“With this new facility, trans-border travel will be even more seamless, while still respecting the need for safety and security,” MacKinnon said. “This new facility is a win for passengers and a win for commercial and economic activity.”
In a news release Monday, Transport Canada said the introduction of pre-clearance could grow the airport’s annual economic contribution from $2.1 billion to $5.3 billion.
The federal government spent $30 million on the facility, which was first announced in 2023.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said pre-clearance would provide travellers with more options and hopefully take pressure off the city’s larger, busier Pearson airport.
Further airport expansion being floated
The announcement comes after Premier Doug Ford told the Toronto Region Board of Trade last month that he’d like to see the downtown airport’s runways extended so planes with jet engines can fly in and out.
All jet aircrafts, except MEDEVAC flights and certain type of propeller aircraft, are prohibited from using the airport, according to its website.
Steenstra wrote a letter last week to Sarkaria, saying Toronto Port Authority is “ready to work together” to make Ford’s vision a reality, but there needs to be a plan to help prepare the airport for Ontario’s expected economic and population growth.
The airport is not under provincial jurisdiction, however. It is governed by a tripartite agreement involving the City of Toronto, Toronto Port Authority and the federal government. Representatives from the city were not present at Monday’s announcement.
WATCH | Why expanding Billy Bishop to accommodate jets won’t be easy:
Doug Ford wants to expand Billy Bishop for jets — but it may not be that simple
Doug Ford is pushing to expand Billy Bishop to accommodate jets. While the Toronto Port Authority wants to make it happen, CBC’s Naama Weingarten breaks down why making this dream a reality won’t be easy.
Previous talks of expansion have drawn pushback from downtown residents concerned about noise, pollution and safety issues.
Steenstra said Toronto Port Authority shares those concerns as it eyes expansion.
“We have a mandate to be a good neighbour,” he said.
When asked, Minister MacKinnon did not confirm whether the federal government supported expanding the runways to allow jets.