EIA increases airport improvement fees

Travellers passing through the Edmonton International Airport are now paying a little more in improvement fees.

On Monday, the EIA upped airport improvement fees $5, bringing the total to $30 per passenger.

Spokeswoman Heather Hamilton said the increase reflects the rapid growth of the airport.

“Over the past 10 years we are by far the fastest growing major airport in the country, and so we've had to expand to make sure that we have the infrastructure to support the increased growth.”

Even with the fee increase, Hamilton said the airport improvements are outstripping the improvement fees collected.

“There's new things that are coming up,” she said. “There's road servicing and new commercial development that is going in to the airport.”

Edmonton, Calgary and Fort McMurray are currently tied with the second highest airport fees in the country.

The most expensive fees are in Bathurst, N.B., where each passenger is charged $40.

The average fee charged per passenger across Canada is $18.40, according to a list of fees provided on the Air Canada website.