Airport Rates & Fees
All rates are subject to change.
Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton City Centre Airport
Villeneuve Airport
Airport Improvement Fee
Passengers departing Edmonton International Airport pay an Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) of $20*. This fee is included in the price of airline tickets. The AIF is used to fund any air terminal redevelopment projects, including Expansion 2012.
The following passengers are exempt from the fee:
- Children under two
- Aircraft crew on duty
- Airline staff traveling on business
- In-transit passengers remaining on board an aircraft
- Passengers connecting within four hours for domestic/transborder flights (24 hours for international flights) *see AIF Q&A at bottom of page
Since industry de-regulation in 1992, Canadian airports stopped receiving tax monies for major facility upgrades or operational requirements, and therefore have been solely responsible for funding these projects. The airport, which was substantially renovated in 2000, is presently operating 20 per cent above capacity. The terminal was built to accommodate up to 5.5 million passengers a year. In 2008, EIA saw nearly 6.5 million passengers use its facilities.
Expansion 2012 is financed through the Alberta Capital Finance Authority, which allows EIA to leverage the Province's excellent credit rating. Edmonton Airports is also able to draw funds only as required, rather than taking out one large loan at the start of the project. This keeps interest costs down and allows flexibility in financial planning.
We are committed to a transparent process, in which money collected is accounted for separately in our financial statements.
Edmonton Airports is further committed to spending prudently and frugally, understanding that we are collecting directly from the public, and need to be accountable for how that money is spent. We understand that people are looking for a functional, efficient building, appropriate to the growth and needs of our region.
*Note: The Airport Improvement Fee is going up $5 to $25 for tickets sold after October 1, 2011 for travel after January 1, 2012.
For more information on the airport improvement fee, or to comment, please
contact Edmonton Airports by e-mail at: info@flyeia.com.
AIF Q&A:
What is EIA's position on whether connecting passengers should pay an AIF?
We strongly agree that connecting travellers should NOT pay an AIF at EIA. Passengers who purchase one through ticket are not charged. It is only when a passenger purchases two separate tickets that the airline charges (for example, WestJet from Vancouver to Edmonton and then First Air from Edmonton to Yellowknife). To accommodate those particular circumstances, we have a long-standing policy to ensure that passengers can be refunded.
Does this challenge occur at all airports?
Yes. This challenge occurs at all airports where passengers connect by purchasing two separate tickets; it is not an "Edmonton" or a "new" penalizing policy. It happens in Calgary, for example: on separate tickets, from Vancouver, to Calgary, to Yellowknife, an AIF would have been charged for both the Vancouver departure and the Calgary connection to Yellowknife. Calgary Airport does also offer refunds. It is not specific to Edmonton. Note: the only exception is Toronto, which does charge a specific connecting fee to all travellers connecting through their airport.
Is there any easy way to get a refund and simplify the process?
This is a challenge at all airports. With airlines collecting all AIFs at all airports, the only way we are aware that travellers can be compensated is through a refund directly from the connecting airport. The process in Edmonton requires showing your itinerary/tickets and airline boarding passes. We're open to making it as simple as possible. If there are ways to make it easier to collect refunds, we'll implement changes.
Connection AIF Refund Requests
EIA AIF Recovery Request Form [104 KB PDF]
There is a form available for customers who may have paid the AIF in error when making a connection at EIA. Please read the form carefully and note that all fields are required to process the request. You will need to submit supporting information along with the form. If you choose to e-mail the form (instead of printing and mailing a hardcopy) please scan these documents and attach them to your e-mail.