OTTAWA – November 6, 2026 – Canada’s airports are reviewing measures outlined in the federal budget and welcome further clarity on how the government intends to implement them.
Airports are encouraged to see the budget advance a new Traveller Biometric Strategy. Airports and their partners have advocated for this and run successful pilots, and are prepared to move quickly. We welcome the appointment of a special advisor at Transport Canada to accelerate work across government departments and agencies.
Airports also welcome $192.5 million for the Canada Border Services Agency to update its digital infrastructure. These systems will be critical to move the Traveller Biometric Strategy forward.
“We are pleased to see progress from government on prioritizing and funding the digitization of the traveller journey, including the use of biometrics, which has real potential to improve a passenger’s experience at the airport,” said Monette Pasher, President of the Canadian Airports Council.
As the government charts a path toward for-profit concessions at Canada’s four largest airports, the system, its stakeholders and the public deserve a robust and transparent process that ensures travellers and communities are well served. These hubs anchor a network of 26 National Airports System airports and dozens of regional and remote airports. Decisions about one part will affect the entire system and its communities. Travellers, communities, employees and partners all have stakes in the outcome.
Canada’s airports operate under public accountability principles, with transparent reporting on fees, capital plans and results. That transparency and accountability should remain central as this process moves forward.
Canada’s airports welcome the government’s intention to reinvest some proceeds from this transaction into airport infrastructure, regional connectivity initiatives and airport-linked transportation. Canada’s airports were built with travellers’ funds – the Canadian Airports Council calls for the government to reinvest the majority of any proceeds received from monetizing these assets back into the airport and aviation system that generated them, to ensure affordability, regional connectivity, system resilience and continued growth.
“The generational change proposed for the sector is significant and will require careful consideration. We need to move thoughtfully and transparently to get it right,” said Monette Pasher.
Canada’s airports are essential national infrastructure. They serve 160 million travellers a year and support airlines to handle a significant portion of the country’s high-value air cargo in the belly of aircraft. The system is funded almost entirely by its users, with no ongoing taxpayer subsidy. In fact, it
returns money to the public purse. Over three decades, airports have paid more than $8.4 billion in federal rent while reinvesting more than $30 billion of travellers’ money in airport infrastructure including terminals, runways and systems. In 2025 alone, airports paid $556 million in rent to the federal government.
About the Canadian Airports Council
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC), a division of Airports Council International-North America, is the voice for Canada’s airports community. Its 60 members represent more than 100 airports, including all of the privately-operated National Airports System (NAS) airports and many municipal airports across Canada.
Canada’s airports support 435,800 jobs, providing $32.9 billion in annual wages, generating $49.6 billion in GDP and producing $123.5 billion of annual economic output.
For more information, please contact:
Julie Pondant, Canadian Airports Council