What to know
- Travellers heading to the U.S. from YTZ can now obtain customs clearance before their flight instead of when they land.
- No further inspection will be required upon landing, and travellers can head to their next destination immediately after deboarding.
- The federal government says the new system could allow for the opening of routes to new U.S. destinations.
Travellers bound for U.S. destinations can now receive customs preclearance for their flight instead of after landing.
The federal government announced today that Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will now have a preclearance facility for travellers heading to the United States.
Opening tomorrow, the preclearance facility will allow passengers heading for U.S. destinations to complete their customs processing before they depart, before heading directly to their connection or final destination.
After completing their preclearance process, travellers can simply be on their way. No further inspection will be required once they land. Passengers are warned to prep some extra time before arriving at the airport, as the preclearance check still takes a bit of time; it just occurs before the flight instead of after.
Of course, the typical protocol is still in effect for international flights. Passengers must have a valid passport, and non-Canadian citizens may need their visa or other documentation.
The new preclearance facility at YTZ was announced today in a joint press conference held by Steven MacKinnon, federal Minister of Transport, and Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, Ontario Minister of Transportation.
Located on the Toronto Islands, Billy Bishop is one of the busiest airports in the country, with flights to cities across Canada and the U.S. American destinations from flights out of YTZ include Chicago, Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. via Air Canada or Porter, with operations to Nashville via Porter coming in May of this year. According to the federal government as part of the announcement, the new preclearance system may allow for routes to new destinations in the U.S. from Billy Bishop.
Update: Following the original announcement of preclearance to U.S. destinations, Air Canada announced that it will be expanding its Air Canada Express service to New York LaGuardia starting March 29, and to Chicago, Washington D.C., and Boston in the future.
