Denis Coderre presses Ottawa to address customs problems at Trudeau airport
Passengers arriving at Montreal airport often subject to 2-hour delays
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre says he's hopeful the federal government will take steps to address the delays to get through customs at Montreal's Trudeau airport.
Coderre said he spoke Wednesday with Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale, who is responsible for border services.
"The minister says he will analyze the situation," he told Radio-Canada's Gravel le matin on Thursday.
Passengers at Trudeau airport have been subject to lengthy delays throughout the summer, with the process often taking more than two hours.
A spokesman for Goodale said in a statement Wednesday the government "understands the frustrations of travellers who have had to wait extended periods, often after lengthy international flights."
"Officials continue to work with all involved agencies to determine how to ensure the proper screening of everyone entering the country while reducing inconveniences to travelers," Scott Bardsley said.
Coderre said he wants Ottawa to look into three areas:
- Is the infrastructure adequate? Both the number of border guard agents and the number of booths may need to be increased, he said.
- Are too many planes arriving at the same time? Planes, particularly those coming from Europe, tend to arrive all at once.
- Are there new technologies available? There are already passport kiosks in place at the airport aimed at speeding up the process, but Coderre said airports in other cities may have a better system.