B.C.

A 10-year, $1.8-billion upgrade was announced Wednesday for Vancouver International Airport, a plan that will see passengers travelling to destinations outside of British Columbia facing a $5 increase in the airport improvement fee to $20.

However, the Vancouver Airport Authority, the not-for-profit group that runs the airport, says the fee will still be among the lowest in Canada with most other major airports collecting $25 per passenger.

Meanwhile, passengers travelling within B.C. and to the Yukon will continue to pay just a $5 fee, the authority said in a release.

"In order to remain competitive and an airport that British Columbia can be proud of we must continue to invest in projects that make it easier and faster for passengers and their baggage to move through the airport," said authority president and CEO Larry Berg.

Among projects in the decade-long improvement plan are more than 700 metres of secure corridors and moving walkways to reduce connection times for passengers, new high-speed baggage systems, upgrades to the original areas of the 1968 Domestic Terminal Building and runway safety enhancements.

"YVR (the airport) employs 23,600 people, is home to 400 businesses and generates $1.9 billion in GDP for Canada," Berg said.

"It's no surprise that we have to continue investing in our airport to ensure we remain an economic engine for our community. Every penny of AIF collected goes toward building a better airport for British Columbia."

The last increase in the airport improvement fee was in 2004.

Since it was introduced in 1993, the AIF has helped build a new International Terminal, a new runway, roads and bridges, airfield safety improvements and the Sea Island portion of the Canada Line.

Premier Christy Clark was quoted in the release as saying the level of investment demonstrated "YVR's confidence in British Columbia, our economic strategy, and the thousands of British Columbians working at the airport."

Vancouver International is Canada's second busiest airport, handling about 17 million passengers in 2011 with more than 296,000 aircraft landings and takeoffs.