Montreal's airport to undergo $10-billion expansion to fix deficiencies | Daily Hive

Montreal-Trudeau International Airport to undergo $10-billion expansion to tackle deficiencies

Concept of the expansion of Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. (Aéroports de Montréal)

For 2025, Skytrax’s World Airport Awards — an influential, globally recognized annual ranking of the world’s best airports, based on comprehensive passenger surveys — ranked Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) as the world’s 51st best airport.

It is certainly not a high ranking, with YUL ranking just after Medina Airport in Saudi Arabia and just after the notorious Los Angeles International Airport.

The ranking for Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) was even lower, coming at 55th, while Vancouver International Airport (YVR) saw a world’s 13th best ranking, which makes it North America’s best major airport.

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Passengers at YUL frequently complain about poor communication, and long delays at check-in and security — sometimes linked to technical breakdowns.

Another major point of criticism is the airport’s physical condition. YUL’s terminal building facilities are frequently described as dated, significantly overcrowded, poorly maintained, and lacking cleanliness. Beyond these issues, the terminal building also has a confusing and inefficient layout, dim lighting, and poor wayfinding signage. All of this amounts to an overall sense of neglect.

Ground transportation access to the airport is strained by severe vehicle traffic congestion around Dorval, while limited runway capacity can lead to bottlenecks during peak periods for air traffic. Altogether, these factors contribute to YUL’s reputation as one of Canada’s more frustrating major airports for travellers.

Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. (EQRoy/Shutterstock)

Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. (Aéroports de Montréal)

But much of this could change from the plan by Aéroports de Montréal — the airport authority for YUL — to push forward with a $10-billion expansion and improvement plan to address its critical issues. This project, spanning different areas and components of the airport, will span 10 years through 2035 and is more comprehensive than what was first announced in 2018.

Earlier this summer, the federal government’s Canada Infrastructure Bank provided YUL with a $1-billion low-cost loan to help cover the project’s initial construction financing.

As part of the project, construction work is well underway on modifying the shortest of YUL’s three runways, a diagonal runway — also known as a crosswind runway — that increasingly saw limited use due to its safety and operational capacity issues.

One of the biggest and most expensive components of the project is the construction of a new infield terminal building — a satellite jetty building that is physically separate from the existing main terminal building.

This first phase of the satellite jetty building will provide YUL with 12 additional gates, effectively increasing the airport’s capacity to meet rapidly growing passenger demand. There is an urgent need for this added capacity; the construction to come is expected to be relatively swift, with completion on this first phase set to be achieved by 2028.

A satellite jetty — also referred to as a satellite pier — is a standalone, separate extension of the terminal building functions to specifically provide additional gates and waiting areas, but is still dependent on the main terminal building for processing functions such as check-in, baggage claim, security, and customs.

Around the world, underground walking routes, tall aerial walkways, and/or short people mover train rides often provide the link between the main terminal building and a satellite jetty. In contrast, a satellite terminal building is a separate, standalone building with its own comprehensive facilities like check-in, security, lounges, concessions, and customs, and it is linked to other terminal buildings by road, people mover trains, and/or walkways.

This first phase of YUL’s satellite jetty building will span nearly half a kilometre in length. It will be configured in a way to enable a future expansion that nearly doubles the length of the building, adding 12 to 16 additional gates for a total of up to 28 gates at the jetty.

As part of the first phase of the satellite jetty project, a new wide underground tunnel will connect the existing main terminal to the jetty. The passage, stretching more than 400 metres, will serve as a walking route for passengers — likely equipped with moving walkways — while also housing baggage conveyance systems and space for other essential utilities and infrastructure.

montreal-trudeau international airport yul expansion

Concept of the expansion of Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. (Aéroports de Montréal)

Shortly after the first phase of the satellite jetty is completed, the existing aeroquai — the structure that currently provides access to the tunnel link with the main terminal — will be demolished to make room for an expanded aircraft apron. The aeroquai today serves 10 remote-stand gates, but with the opening of the new jetty, YUL will be able to sharply reduce its dependence on such bridge-less gates, improving efficiency and the overall passenger experience.

Over the short term, YUL will improve and optimize its existing main terminal building, and study the feasibility of building a major satellite terminal building near the southeast corner of the airport property. There will be expanded baggage handling capacity, and new tarmacs and taxiways.

Over the medium and long term, YUL will redevelop the main terminal building’s existing domestic jetty and international/domestic swing gates, expand the existing transborder jetty, and build the second phase of the satellite jetty building.

As for ground access improvements to the airport, the final phase of Montreal’s new REM automated metro rail system will open in 2027, providing a seamless, one-train ride between YUL’s terminal building and downtown Montreal in 25 minutes. REM trains will serve Montreal’s airport every 10 minutes during peak periods and every 15 minutes during off-peak periods.

When open, YUL will join the ranks of YVR, YYZ, and Ottawa-Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) as Canadian airports with rail rapid transit links to the city centre, with YOW’s airport train link opening in early 2025. REM will replace YUL’s existing 747 express bus service.

REM will have an underground station at the airport. Montreal’s airport authority provided $600 million to support the cost of building not only the subway station, but also the tunnel beneath the runways, taxiways, and apron.

With the launch of the REM link, YUL’s public transit mode share is projected to climb significantly, rising from its current eight per cent of airport users to about 20 per cent in the coming years.

Concept of the REM station at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. (REM)

Concept of the expansion of Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. (Aéroports de Montréal)

Major improvements are also underway for vehicle access.

In 2024, YUL opened a new satellite parkade with 2,800 vehicle parking stalls, replacing a previously demolished parkade. This new parkade — featuring a green roof and solar panels — features a bus shuttle service due to its satellite location. Overall, YUL has 9,300 vehicle parking stalls across varying parking facilities.

YUL also intends to optimize the use of drop-off zones in front of the terminal building, and expand the use of satellite drop-off zones — served by shuttle buses — to reduce congestion at the terminal.

The expansion plan also calls for a sweeping reconfiguration of the road network that feeds into the terminal, parkades, and passenger drop-off areas. This includes exploring new access routes to lessen dependence on Highway 20, as well as demolishing and rebuilding another parkade to make more efficient use of land.

A new intermodal hub is also envisioned at Dorval station, south of the airport, where passengers could seamlessly connect between air travel, the REM, and VIA Rail. While Dorval station was once considered a potential stop in VIA Rail’s proposed high-frequency rail (HFR) service along the Windsor–Quebec City corridor, its role has become uncertain ever since the federal government’s project shifted from HFR to a true high-speed rail line, which may bypass the station altogether.

Montreal’s airport expansion project is designed by STGM Architecture, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte en Consortium, and Saucier + Perrotte Architectes.

YUL’s annual passenger volumes have doubled over the past 20 years, and it is Canada’s third busiest airport after YYZ and YVR.

Passenger volumes reached an all-time record of 22.4 million in 2024 — up from 21.2 million in 2023 and the pre-pandemic record of 20.3 million in 2019.

The airport authority’s $10-billion overhaul of YUL is deemed necessary to not only address existing operational pressures and passenger experience issues, but also to support continued growth. YUL’s passenger volumes are currently forecast to increase to 28 million annually by 2028 and up to 35 million by 2035.

In contrast, YYZ recorded 46.8 million passengers in 2024, which is still down from its record of 50.5 million in 2019, while YVR saw 26.2 million in 2024, which is slightly below its record of 26.4 million. Calgary International Airport also experienced strong growth, with 18.9 million passengers seen in 2024 — up from 18.5 million in 2023, and the pre-pandemic record of 18.96 million in 2019.

Montreal’s airport believes it can strategically grow its business as a trans-Atlantic hub. Connection rates through YUL between North America and Europe grew from 15.8 per cent in 2013 to 23.4 per cent in 2023. With further optimization and expansion of the airport, this rate could reach 27 per cent by 2043.

Generally, Canada’s busiest airports have seen sharp growth leading up to the pandemic and in more recent years during the post-pandemic recovery period. But passenger volumes in 2025 to date have seen some growth, but are relatively slower, likely due to economic uncertainties, including the impact of U.S. tariffs.

Over the first six months of 2025, as of the end of June, YUL saw 10.617 million passengers — slightly down from the 10.662 recorded over the same period in 2024. There was an uptick in domestic and non-U.S. international passengers, but a 6.8 per cent year-over-year decrease in U.S. transborder passengers.

Concept of the expansion of Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. (Aéroports de Montréal)

Meanwhile, Canada’s busiest airport, YYZ, is in the preliminary stages of planning a 10-year, multibillion-dollar expansion and improvement project called Pearson Long-Term Investments in Facilities and Terminals (LIFT).

Pearson LIFT begins with the interim “Accelerator” phase of work to tackle early airside, utility, and building systems upgrades. A construction team comprised of Kenaidan Contracting, Alberici Constructors, Amico Major Projects, and Obayashi Canada has been selected to conduct this initial phase of work, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2025.

Future phases involve expanding the terminal building facilities to better enable YYZ to handle 65 million passengers by the early 2030s — an increase of 40 per cent compared to 2024’s volumes. There will also be a revitalization of the existing Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 facilities, including modernizing retail, amenities, and passenger processing spaces, increasing digitalization of the passenger journey, the renewal of critical assets and new employee areas, and the optimization of parking facilities and ground transportation access.

There are also additional longer-term plans to provide Toronto’s airport with a new major multi-modal transportation hub, with YYZ served by additional rail rapid transit and regional rail routes in addition to the existing Union Pearson Express line to downtown Toronto.

As for Canada’s second busiest airport, YVR leadership previously told Daily Hive Urbanized there are no near-term plans to proceed with another new major terminal building expansion to handle the high passenger growth being experienced at Vancouver’s airport. Instead, they are focusing on enhancing the use of digital tools and optimizing the use of the existing terminal building, which saw the opening of a significant expansion of the international terminal in 2022.

Before the pandemic, YVR launched a $9-billion, 20-year expansion and improvement project. However, aside from the completion of the first phase — the expansion of the international terminal — most of the plan was cancelled at the height of the pandemic.

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