Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport set to get US Preclearance facility
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Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has secured $30 million in federal funding to build a US Customs and Border Protection Preclearance facility for passengers travelling to the United States.
Neil Pakey, president and CEO of terminal owner and operator, Nieuport Aviation, believes that the decision is a game changer for the Canadian airport and marks the beginning in a new era for the downtown airport in terms of connectivity and consumer convenience.
“Preclearance at YTZ will deepen business ties with the US., while also boosting our visitor economy in Toronto by helping with conventions and exhibitions, hotel bookings and the night-time economy,” says Pakey.
“That’s what makes this announcement such great news for both for business trade links and for leisure visitors.
“Earlier in my career as I was leading the team at Ireland’s Shannon Airport, I saw first-hand how US customs preclearance clearly made a difference to the success of routes and markets such as Boston and New York, similar destinations to those we serve at Billy Bishop.
“Preclearance was a great addition to the airport in Shannon and we look forward to welcoming US officials with open arms to YTZ soon. For Toronto, this means we can also expect new routes and destinations, and wider interest from airlines who will seek to be carriers through our airport.
“We now serve five US destinations from downtown, but with preclearance we expect that number to significantly increase. We know from Destination Toronto that our city has lost roughly $8.3 billion in economic activity due to COVID-19, including cancelled business conferences, empty hotel rooms, shuttered restaurants and vacant tourist attractions.
“Clearly, we need to do everything we can to help continue the downtown core recovery. A recent report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce showed consumer foot traffic in downtown Toronto is down 46% from the pre-pandemic norm. We need to do more to help Toronto, as the engine our economy, to fully recover.”
Research by the airport indicates that the planned preclearance facility will generate $4.8 billion in net wider economic impact, create 32,400 new jobs, add to the annual tax revenue by approximately $150 million, and save the equivalent of $28 million in monetised time savings for passengers through faster processing at departure.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport contributes to Toronto’s $10.3 billion to the urban visitor economy and the $106 billion in service trade between Canada and the US annually.