WATCH ABOVE: In the last year, Trudeau airport has slid down the ranks of Canada’s busiest. It now sits at number four, behind Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Rachel Lau looks at why.
MONTREAL – Montreal is claiming the federal government hasn’t paid enough interest to Trudeau airport in the last few years.
The city argues it’s tired of being passed over in favour of airports in other Canadian cities.
“The thinking is basically: Montreal is a transit airport, Toronto’s a hub,” said Marvin Rotrand, vice president of the STM and a Snowdon councillor.
In the last year, Trudeau airport has slid down the ranks of Canada’s busiest airports.
It now sits at number four, behind Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
“When Calgary, with a population of one million, passes Montreal, with a population of 3.5 million, in terms of passengers per year, in terms of aircraft movement, there’s something wrong,” said Rotrand.
“The government’s got to step in.”
Yet, airport officials say the problem doesn’t lie with the the federal government, but with the municipal.
“One of the biggest cost problems we have is in property taxes,” said James Cherry, vice president of Aéroports de Montréal.
Last year, Trudeau airport paid just over $38 million in municipal taxes.
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That’s $10 million more than Toronto’s Pearson airport.
It’s a staggering $30 million more than Calgary International.
“If they really want to help us, think of how they want to reduce that tax burden,” said Cherry.
Nevertheless, Rotrand doesn’t think the city can help.
“That’s not a municipal issue,” he said.
Rotrand insists that not enough direct flights to destinations like Asia and South America are leaving from Montreal compared to Toronto.
“We’re looked at in a similar way as smaller airports: Winnipeg or Edmonton,” he said.
“We’re not looked at in the same way as Toronto or Vancouver and that’s what’s really got to change.”
But the airport insists things are going very well.
“We have a very strong offer,” said Cherry.
“We have 130 destinations, 30 different carriers here. I think we have a really strong offer.”
Melissa Sonberg, an organizational behaviour professor at McGill University, pointed out the number of international flights leaving from Toronto is all about market demands.
“Fundamentally it’s an economic decision based on the value that that market is going to produce,” she explained.
A spokesperson with Trudeau airport told Global News they are negotiating to increase the number of direct flights to destinations around the globe.
This would mean more people flying out of Trudeau airport and could put Montreal back in the top three.
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