The Edmonton International Airport announced Wednesday that in 2014, every seat sold on a flight departing from the airport will have a slightly higher fee attached.
EIA said the Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) will rise from $25 to $30, and will apply to travel that falls on or after July 1, 2014 and for plane tickets sold on or after February 1, 2014.
“We are the fastest growing airport and one of the fastest growing economies anywhere in the country, so it’s not an accident,” Heather Hamilton with the Edmonton Airport Authority said.
Revenues from the added fee isn’t earmarked for specific projects, but the airport authority said it would go to help cover the costs of a new terminal and other projects under construction such as the pedestrian walkway between the airport and the new hotel.
“Infrastructure is really, really expensive and obviously it’s the heart and soul of the airport, so we have other sources of income that we use for other things, but for core development the only source of income is the Airport Development Fee,” Hamilton said.
Airport officials said the increased fee will match other fees at airports across Alberta – Calgary’s airport also has a $30 AIF attached to ticket sales, as does the airport in Fort McMurray.
Such fees at other major Canadian airports are slightly lower, with Toronto’s and Winnipeg’s airports charging $25, and fee at the Vancouver airport is $20.
EIA officials said they expect to serve up to 10 million travelers annually by 2020.
With files from Dan Grummett
