Toronto's Downtown Airport Opens US Preclearance — Unlocking New American Routes

A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility opened at Toronto's Billy Bishop City Airport on March 12, making it the first such addition in Canada in nearly two decades.

The facility allows travelers to complete U.S. immigration and customs screening before boarding in Toronto. Upon landing in the States, they step off as domestic arrivals — skipping customs lines entirely.

The operational shift unlocks routes that weren't previously possible. Air Canada will launch four daily flights between Billy Bishop and New York's LaGuardia Airport starting March 29, followed by service to Boston, Chicago O'Hare, and Washington Dulles. LaGuardia and Reagan National lack international arrival facilities, so preclearance was the only path to serving those airports.

Porter Airlines, the dominant carrier at Billy Bishop, is responding with its own expansion: Nashville service begins in May, and its Chicago routing shifts from Midway to O'Hare in September.

Both carriers fly the de Havilland Dash 8-Q400 turboprop to Billy Bishop, limiting routes to destinations within roughly 1,000 miles. Slot restrictions also cap overall flight volumes.

The airport will charge a CAD $22.50 (about $16.50 USD) preclearance fee per passenger during the facility's first year.

Total U.S.-bound seat capacity from Billy Bishop is projected to grow nearly 5% in the first half of 2026. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has signaled plans to take operational control of the airport and potentially extend its runway to accommodate jet aircraft — a move that could dramatically expand its reach.