Yet Another Kick At The Airport Privatization Plan

The federal government's 2025 budget has reintroduced a topic that could reshape Canada's aviation landscape: airport privatization. While the budget stops short of announcing a full-scale divestiture, it signals a clear intent to consider options for privatizing airports and to attract private-sector investment in this major infrastructure asset class.

This is not the first time such an idea has surfaced. A similar review in 2016 explored monetizing major airport assets, with interest from private capital. That effort ultimately stalled amid political concerns and resistance from certain airport authorities. But nearly a decade later — and in a markedly different fiscal and geopolitical environment — the conversation has returned.