Federal airport rents surged by 30% in 2023, reaching a record $487.8 million despite rent waivers at eight regional airports, new government data shows. Blacklock's Reporter says the Department of Transport now collects five times more in rents than it distributes in subsidies for airport infrastructure improvements.“The more debt we take on, the more debt that is coming back to the passenger,” said Monette Pasher, president of the Canadian Airports Council, in testimony to the Commons transport committee. “The more expensive we are for aviation in Canada, the more expensive it is for Canadians. It is really quite that simple.”According to figures released by cabinet at the request of Conservative MP Dan Muys, rent collections from Canada’s 21 privately operated airport authorities rose from $373.6 million in 2022 to $487.8 million in 2023. Between 2016 and 2023, total rent collections reached $5.9 billion, while infrastructure subsidies to airports over the same period totaled only $1.1 billion.A temporary rent waiver introduced in 2020 as a pandemic relief measure has since expired, leaving airports to resume full payments. “Rent was only waived,” Pasher clarified. “It’s been waived to be paid back in future years. It wasn’t even forgiven.”New Democrat MP Taylor Bachrach raised concerns over the imbalance, asking if the government was profiting more from airports than reinvesting in them. “Yes, absolutely,” Pasher responded, likening airports to a “toll booth” for the federal treasury. “Pre-pandemic, airports were contributing over $400 million in rent to the federal government, with only a small portion coming back.”Toronto led last year’s rent payments with $211.1 million, followed by Montréal ($91.8 million), Vancouver ($68.4 million), and Calgary ($50.6 million). Smaller collections came from airports in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Halifax, while no rents were collected from Charlottetown, Fredericton, and other regional airports during the holiday period, which ended December 31.A 2016 statutory review of the Canada Transportation Act had recommended ending federal airport rents and capping airport improvement fees charged to ticket buyers. “Fees have been growing with mad abandon,” noted David Emerson, a former industry minister, in Senate testimony on the issue.
Federal airport rents surged by 30% in 2023, reaching a record $487.8 million despite rent waivers at eight regional airports, new government data shows. Blacklock's Reporter says the Department of Transport now collects five times more in rents than it distributes in subsidies for airport infrastructure improvements.“The more debt we take on, the more debt that is coming back to the passenger,” said Monette Pasher, president of the Canadian Airports Council, in testimony to the Commons transport committee. “The more expensive we are for aviation in Canada, the more expensive it is for Canadians. It is really quite that simple.”According to figures released by cabinet at the request of Conservative MP Dan Muys, rent collections from Canada’s 21 privately operated airport authorities rose from $373.6 million in 2022 to $487.8 million in 2023. Between 2016 and 2023, total rent collections reached $5.9 billion, while infrastructure subsidies to airports over the same period totaled only $1.1 billion.A temporary rent waiver introduced in 2020 as a pandemic relief measure has since expired, leaving airports to resume full payments. “Rent was only waived,” Pasher clarified. “It’s been waived to be paid back in future years. It wasn’t even forgiven.”New Democrat MP Taylor Bachrach raised concerns over the imbalance, asking if the government was profiting more from airports than reinvesting in them. “Yes, absolutely,” Pasher responded, likening airports to a “toll booth” for the federal treasury. “Pre-pandemic, airports were contributing over $400 million in rent to the federal government, with only a small portion coming back.”Toronto led last year’s rent payments with $211.1 million, followed by Montréal ($91.8 million), Vancouver ($68.4 million), and Calgary ($50.6 million). Smaller collections came from airports in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Halifax, while no rents were collected from Charlottetown, Fredericton, and other regional airports during the holiday period, which ended December 31.A 2016 statutory review of the Canada Transportation Act had recommended ending federal airport rents and capping airport improvement fees charged to ticket buyers. “Fees have been growing with mad abandon,” noted David Emerson, a former industry minister, in Senate testimony on the issue.
