"Canadian airport rent hike irksome"

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Airport rent hike irksome
By MICHELLE MARK
Canada - The Winnipeg Sun


Another blow for air travellers could be on the horizon if an exorbitant
rent increase is allowed to go ahead, says the head of Calgary's airport
authority. The Calgary International Airport's federal government landlord
has set rent for the facility at $56 million as of January 2006. 

That's more than double the $25 million it is currently paying, says Calgary
Airport Authority president and CEO Garth Atkinson. 

Now, Atkinson is fighting the rent which he says will have devastating
effects throughout the industry. 

"This is quite a crisis for us," he said. "It means a 60% increase to fees
we charge airlines -- that will hurt our business and theirs." 

Travellers who now pay an average of $7 in airport levies every time they
board an aircraft will also feel the impact of the increase. 

Canadians are already paying around 50% more for many major domestic routes
since Jetsgo ceased operations last week. 

Last August, partly to cover the cost of a new runway, Calgary's $12 airport
improvement fee had to be hiked to $15.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************