Aéroports de Montréal CEO James Cherry took the stage Friday to speak about his upcoming retirement and a few concerns he has for the future of the airport. He will be stepping down from the position he has held for the last 15 years.
Under his reign, Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport went through several renovations and managed to accept the transfer of flights from Mirabel International Airport following its switch to cargo-only flights.
Cherry also recently saw the first test of Canada’s new security screening system to speed up customs, but the trial period will be coming to an end January 17, 2017. This will leave the airport to manage customs the way it always has until the fast lane is fully approved.
READ MORE: New security screening line tested at Montreal’s Trudeau Airport
However, Cherry did leave a message for his successor; a warning to keep up with growing traffic at the airport.
“The resources that [the government] is putting at the disposal of pre-board screening or at the customs hall is not keeping pace,” Cherry said.
With 20,000 passengers processed every day, Global News discovered that some travelers wait up to two hours just to get through customs.
READ MORE: Trudeau airport plagued by long delays at customs
Cherry said that with the pressure to increase traffic, the airport cannot be left to fend for itself.
“They want us to increase tourism, they want us to increase business visitors, and we’re doing our part, but they have to do their part as well,” he said.
Cherry will be retiring from his position at the end of the year with hopes of seeing improvements to the airport in the years to come.
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