It will be a busy summer at Montreal Trudeau Airport, which is expected to receive nearly 7 million passengers over the next three months, a record number. To reduce congestion, most airport parking will be free for approximately forty minutes throughout the season.
“For the summer period, we again expect strong growth compared to last year, the most significant among major Canadian airports, with approximately 2.2 million passengers per month, in June, July and August,” a Montreal Airports spokesperson said Tuesday. (Adam), Eric Forrest.
In a press release, his group insisted that passenger traffic “continues to grow” and that several summer destinations will be added this summer, which is likely to attract more travellers. In short, everyone expects a “busy summer at YUL,” the organization says.
All this happened last April, ADM CEO Yves Beauchamp has proposed an “ambitious” $4 billion plan to solve accessibility problems that angered commuters from here and elsewhere in Montreal-Trudeau last year, after the pandemic subsided.
The plan, which extends over four years, includes adding parking lots, new boarding gates, and increasing the capacity of the landing stage three times.
It must be said that time is running out. In 2023, Montreal Airport recorded record traffic of more than 21 million passengers, a jump of 32% compared to 2022 and 4% compared to 2019, the year before the pandemic. The summer of 2023 was particularly busy, increasing by 8% compared to the summer season of 2019. The administration expects to receive 25 million passengers by 2028.
In the short term, what do you know?
Photo by Patrick Sunfaun, Press Archive
Yves Beauchamp, President and CEO of Montreal Airports
Several mitigation measures will be taken this summer to reduce road congestion as much as possible, although it will still be very present. From the outset, the first level of the P4 car park has been redeveloped into a 'West Express' drop off point, providing an additional option for unloading a loved one. A shuttle bus leaves from there to the station, a journey that takes less than 5 minutes.
There is also a second alternative landing stage, which is the “East Expressway”, near Highway 520 and the Côte de Lysée axis. A shuttle service is also available from the building. The two express delivery points are open from 1pm to 8pm.
Image courtesy of ADM
Since the beginning of June, a free 40-minute slot has also been offered in “most car parks” at the airport. The measure will remain in effect until September 2024, in order to “reduce the phenomenon of circular movements on the site, that is, vehicles constantly rotating while the traveler waits.”
If your passenger has not arrived yet and you have to wait longer, CellParc parking will be free for a maximum of two hours during the summer season. It is also possible to consult the actual occupancy of the parking lots available on the ADM website. You can also reserve your space in advance to ensure you can park your car upon arrival.
As for travelers returning to their country, the airport authority recommends completing their permit usingUp can “Up to 72 hours before your arrival,” which significantly reduces customs processing time.
In November, Mr Beauchamp confirmed that his intention was to create corridors that would expedite the passage of passengers who had duly completed their application form through customs. Up can. “We realize that people still associate this app a lot with Covid-19, although it still helps speed up the process,” he said about this topic.
In short, travelers who fill out their form can get ahead of others. “It's almost similar to the existing Nexus program, but here, it will target everyone who wants to collaborate,” the CEO explained.
Major business on the horizon
Within two years, in 2026, another large multi-storey car park should be built on the site of the current P11 area, to the east of the station, near the Côte de Lysée axis. It will provide about 3,000 places. Then, during 2026, when this new car park is completed, the Abu Dhabi City Corporation will demolish the existing 5,000-space car park which is nearing the end of its useful life. This will free up space and enable the construction of two new landing stages, each with four tracks, all on two levels. Road access will then be redeveloped in 2027 and 2028.
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