TSS: Citing the high cost of doing business at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Israel’s El Al Airlines said yesterday it was cutting the number of landings to five a week this summer from 10, and down to three a week starting in September.? ?

“Toronto has the highest operating costs of any airport in the world,” said Stanley Morais, general manager for El Al in Canada. “In order to grow the market properly and minimize our costs in a substantial way, we had to eliminate as much as we could the number of landings in Toronto.”?

Morais said El Al will save about $2 million a year in Toronto fees alone by cutting the number of flights between Toronto and Tel Aviv to five, taking effect July 23. Three will be non-stop. Two will carry on to Los Angeles.?

As of Sept. 1, there will only be three non-stop flights between Toronto and Tel Aviv. The Toronto-Los Angeles leg of the journey will be cut altogether with El Al bypassing Toronto for direct L.A. to Tel Aviv flights.?

Morais said the Toronto-Los Angeles leg was popular among passengers “but we were just covering the costs.”Critics have charged that the high cost of doing business at Pearson � spurred by the $4.4 billion redevelopment of the airport and rent paid to Ottawa � would cost the city business.?

Steve Shaw, spokesman for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, said talks between the federal government and the airport aimed at reducing the rent Pearson pays Ottawa were “always” on the go.?

In opposition the Conservatives vowed to revisit the rent issue that sees Pearson pay more in rent to Ottawa than the rest of Canada’s biggest airports combined. Rent accounts for about one quarter of the airport’s operating costs, passed on to the airlines in the form of expensive landing and other user fees.?

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Transport Minister Lawrence Canon were at the airport yesterday, but talks focused on a $250 million funding announcement to enhance air, marine and rail security.