Airport improvements

Airport improvements

Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (Montréal-Trudeau) has undergone and continues to undergo major improvements designed to increase the terminal’s capacity, enhance the level of passenger service and keep the existing facilities in good condition. Maintenance work is also required at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, among other things for upkeep of the runways and related systems.

Modernization of Montréal–Trudeau

At Montréal–Trudeau, an extensive program launched in 2000 and completed in 2006, consisted among other things, of the construction and reconstruction of several components of the terminal, including a new jetty for U.S. departures, another for overseas flights, and a huge international arrivals complex comprising a customs hall and baggage-claim area. The public arrivals hall was also expanded. This program, which cost $716 million (before inflation), was completed on time and within budget.

As part of its program of continuous maintenance and improvement, Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) then proceeded with modernizing the domestic area. The project was completed in December 2007. The interior of the boarding lounges was redesigned in harmony with that of the two other jetties, the baggage-claim area on the arrivals level was expanded, and carousel capacity was boosted by 50%.

Another major project, completed in 2009, was the construction of a new transborder (U.S.) departures hall adjacent to the transborder jetty. The new hall occupies the bottom two floors of the Montréal Airport Marriott hotel building and includes a check-in area, a U.S. Customs preclearance area, and a sophisticated outgoing baggage routing and processing system.

Aéroports de Montréal also seized the opportunity presented by the terminal modernization program to upgrade various types of equipment and implement high-tech solutions to improve passenger flow.

Expansion of the international area

The continued growth of international traffic, even during the recent recession, has now resulted in the need to increase the capacity of this area’s facilities. The latest cycle of improvement work, already well underway, essentially involves the extension of the international jetty and addition of new boarding gates.

Some components of this major project have already been delivered, including:

  • development of new check-in counters in the space freed up by the relocation of the transborder departures area;
  • development of an extensive unified security screening checkpoint for domestic and international departures;
  • expansion of the west apron and construction of new aircraft stands;
  • creation of a new retail area.

The current phase calls for construction of six new gates for wide-body aircraft between now and 2016. This new section will house, among other things, a vast retail area and a VIP lounge; work is already well underway. Expansion of the incoming baggage-processing facilities is also planned.

Investments in the various airport infrastructures have totalled nearly $2 billion since 2000, with further expenditures planned in the years to come. ADM finances the entirety of these improvements itself, with no government subsidies. Net proceeds from the collection of Airport Improvement Fees (AIFs) contribute in part to financing ADM’s projects and programs.