Why would Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan choose the island airport as the site to make an announcement on expanded border services at Canadian airports?

For one thing, the location gives the feds’ favourite airport a load of free publicity, not to mention the spotlight it shines on airport’s last-best-hope tenant Porter Airlines. The location also lets the feds say to the City, back off, there is nothing you can do to stop us from turning this facility into a full service commercial airport, even if you have signed the Tripartite Agreement.

What could the minister possibly announce at the island airport that he couldn’t at any other aerodrome outside of Hogtown?

Seeing that the topic is expanded border services, he could announce that the island airport will offer U.S. pre-clearance for the 1400 or so passengers a week who travel to the States out of the island airport.

Of course, Mr. Van Loan is acting now to ensure the airport’s future when Porter has its 18 to 24 planes in operation flying to a dozen U.S. locations. This, however, ignores the fact that even with excess capacity and new planes coming online, Porter has chosen a new Canadian destination, Thunder Bay, and to expand not into the States but on the Ottawa-Montreal runs.

Several airline analysts have stated that Porter’s future depends on making a success of its cross-border operations. If that’s true, Porter needs more than U.S. authorities at its terminal. It needs bums in seats.

Bob Kotyk