The Board of Directors of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has approved an increase to the Airport Improvement Fee (AIF), effective January 1, 2007. The fee will change from $15 per departing passenger to $20 per departing passenger.

There will be no change to the $8 AIF charged to connecting passengers.

The AIF is used to partially fund capital costs and the associated debt service at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The timing of this increase coincides with the opening of the new international pier early in 2007. This will complete the Airport Development Program, which saw the creation of Terminal 1, improvements to runways, taxiways, roads, bridges, IT systems and utilities for the entire airport. Other necessary capital improvements that have been completed include an expansion of Terminal 3 and the new Airport LINK, which helps to reduce vehicular traffic at Toronto Pearson. These improvements offer passengers an airport that is more efficient, offering modern services and amenities.

As a critical component of the nation’s transportation infrastructure, it is imperative that Toronto Pearson have the facilities to meet current and future air transport demands. With new and improved airport facilities in place, the airport is now very well equipped to compete with the world’s best.

The GTAA is the operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport, one of the largest airports in North America in terms of passenger and air cargo traffic. In 2005, the airport handled nearly 30 million passengers.
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