Air Canada wants expanded role at Pearson: report
Posted November 20, 2013 8:32 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Air Canada is pushing for an expanded role at Pearson airport, hoping to lure U.S. passengers and boost its own revenue by about $400 million a year, according to a published report.
Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu said expanding the airline and its flights would turn Toronto’s Pearson International Airport into an international hub, the Globe and Mail reported.
He made his comments at a Bank of Nova Scotia transportation and airline conference on Tuesday. The presentation is expected to be released on the Air Canada website on Wednesday.
Rovinescu said increasing the number of U.S. travellers passing through Toronto while heading for Europe and Asia would boost Air Canada’s profits and increase Pearson’s status worldwide.
Currently, Rovinescu said, the airline has about 0.3 per cent of U.S. passengers who fly to Europe or Asia on non-U.S. airlines. Boosting it to just 1.5 per cent, or 1.1 million passengers a year, would be enough to turn the tide.
Air Canada commercial officer Ben Smith told the newspaper that while not all the pieces are in place – for example, the airline wants to eliminate transit visas for some destinations – consolidating the arrival and departure gates was a good first step.
What Air Canada could offer, Smith said, isn’t necessarily a better price. Instead, the airline could offer connections, less travel hassle and better service.
