It’s going to be a bit more expensive for travellers to fly out of Toronto Pearson International Airport.

According to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), aeronautical rates and the airport improvement fee (AIF) are set to increase on January 1, 2023 due to inflation and the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

Effective January 1, aeronautical rates for commercial aviation, business aircraft and general aviation aircraft will increase by 4%. The AIF for departing passengers will increase by $5, while the fees charged for connecting passengers will increase by $1.

The AIF increase, says the GTAA, will put Toronto Pearson in line with the current rates charged by other airports across Canada. It also added that the impacts of the pandemic, both on the global air travel industry and on Pearson, have been significant, and that the airport has added significant debt to its balance sheet to remain operational over the last two years.

“Airport operations have improved significantly since the summer, but Toronto Pearson is still feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Deborah Flint, President and CEO, GTAA. “As a not-for-profit entity, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we have sufficient revenues to maintain and invest in a world-class facility to provide our valued passengers with an experience that is appropriate for Canada’s largest airport.”

The revenue generated by the increases will support operations at Toronto Pearson, including:

• The installation of new inbound baggage carrousels, including the upgrade of 29,000 metres of baggage handling conveyor belts and a new robotic baggage storage and retrieval system in Terminal 3
• More cleaning and passenger service providers to respond to rising demand for air travel
• Renovations to airport amenities across both terminals, including a refresh of washrooms and customs clearance areas
• A major restoration of roofing in Terminal 3
• Refurbishing escalators and moving walkways while augmenting systems with advanced technologies, such as a pilot of autonomous vehicles
• Doubling the investment in the annual airport asset restoration program
• Increasing staff for maintenance and administration activities

Source: Travelweek