Toronto will soon be home to an all-new customs pre-clearance facility to make things smoother for travellers heading to the U.S., which is well underway and on track to open next year.
PortsToronto announced the new border checkpoint for Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in summer 2023, releasing sleek interior designs for the space just a few weeks later.
But, a year and a half after the big announcement, frequent flyers may be wondering about the status of the forthcoming feature.
PortsToronto, the owner and operator of the island hub, shared that stakeholders performed a walkthrough of the preclearance area last week, suggesting that things are indeed progressing well.
Earlier this week, members of the @PortsToronto and @Nieuport Boards of Directors, along with executives from both organizations, got a firsthand look at the progress being made on @BBishopAirport‘s forthcoming U.S. @CBP preclearance facility.
The expansion of U.S. preclearance… pic.twitter.com/BO1tKPs93S
— PortsToronto (@PortsToronto) December 6, 2024
The authority touted how the expansion will “not only improve the passenger experience at YTZ by allowing passengers to clear U.S. customs on home soil, but will also open up new U.S. markets, foster economic growth, create jobs, boost tourism and enhance trade and security between the U.S. and Canada” in an X post on Friday.
PortsToronto sent along additional photos of the latest stages of construction to blogTO on Wednesday, along with a more detailed update on how things are shaping up.
PortsToronto
Crews from Pomerleau and Alstef Canada — construction firms that were tapped for the project this May — have been hard at work prepping the bones of the area, which is set to open in late 2025. It appears that some demolition, framing, insulation and wiring work is on the go and close to being wrapped up in the months to come.
Back in September, officials from both countries met at Billy Bishop to “reaffirm their commitment” to moving the facility along and, as a result, to offering more U.S. service from the downtown airport moving forward.
After the checkpoint is complete, Billy Bishop will be able to add new flight routes to up to 10 U.S. cities — a boon for an airport that is already the fifth-busiest in Canada for American travel.
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security feels confident in the steps being taken and is now incorporating Billy Bishop in staffing and resource allocation planning and decisions,” a release from that gathering stated, adding that “progress is moving in the right direction.”
PortsToronto
As of the week of December 10, a spokesperson for PortsToronto estimates that the facility is already 35 per cent done, and continues to be on its original schedule.
By the time it’s up and running, it is anticipated to bring in an additional $65 million in tax revenue locally per year, along with providing some 1,600 more jobs and increasing the airport’s overall economic contribution to a whopping $5.3 billion per year.
PortsToronto
The build-out was made possible with $30 million in funding from Ottawa and comes at a time when some are still calling for the island property to be used for something different.
Billy Bishop is also adding new Runway End Safety Areas (RESAs) by 2027 to comply with new federal regulations, which had its operator asking the City for a premature lease renewal so it could secure outside funding to cover the costs of the extensions.
Council approved the necessary landmass additions for the RESAs in October, and also agreed to renegotiate the Tripartite Agreement for the land to permit a conditional longer-term lease to up to the end of 2045 and “ensure ongoing and future operations” at the airfield.
