U.S. preclearance facility at Billy Bishop airport moves forward

The plan to introduce a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Preclearance (U.S. CBP) in late 2025 at Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) is underway.

Officials gathered at YTZ – Canada’s fifth busiest airport – last Friday (Sept. 27) to highlight the benefits of the project, which includes a $30 million-dollar investment by the Government of Canada.

Preclearance offers enhanced security to the border-crossing process while boosting the economies of both countries through facilitated travel between Canada and the United States.

Official say it will also open up more routes to the United States from Billy Bishop, potentially growing the airport's annual economic contribution to $5.3 billion, boosting employment on both sides of the border, and strengthening bilateral trade and tourism.

READ MORE: Construction of U.S. preclearance at Billy Bishop to begin this July for fall 2025 launch

Preclearance also allows for a shared approach to security, allowing both countries to manage the border in a way that addresses shared security concerns, including managing threats early.

"The ability to clear U.S. Customs on home soil will greatly enhance the passenger experience, and offer tremendous benefit to the City of Toronto and surrounding region as it will open new markets and amplify the benefits associated with the airport's contribution to facilitating trade and tourism, creating jobs, supporting healthcare and driving innovation," said RJ Steenstra, president and CEO, PortsToronto, at last week’s event.

For the past year, DHS and CBP, in coordination with Transport Canada and Public Safety Canada, have been monitoring plans for the preparation of future Preclearance facilities at Billy Bishop Airport.

DHS says it feels confident in the steps being taken and is now incorporating Billy Bishop in staffing and resource allocation planning and decisions. 

While the start of operations must depend on the completion of each project milestone, progress is moving in the right direction, the company says.

There are currently 15 U.S. CBP preclearance locations in six countries around the world – including Canada. Eight Canadian airports currently offer preclearance, with Billy Bishop becoming the ninth such facility.

Billy Bishop airport is the fifth busiest serving U.S. markets. The downtown airport on the Toronto Islands welcomes roughly 450,000 U.S. passengers per year.

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