Scottsdale Airport has seen U.S customs and immigration use increase by 53 percent this past year, since expanding customs hours and adding a second agent.
Expanded customs service began in February 2014 when two additional hours were added each day; service is now available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
When airport officials expanded customs service, the goal was to make Scottsdale Airport more viable as an international business destination. The change appears to be working with 786 aircraft processed from February 2014 through January 2015, up from 513 in the prior 12 months.
The bulk of users originate from Canada and Mexico, but Scottsdale serves as a gateway and more visitors are coming from other countries, like Peru, Chile, London, Aruba and Egypt.
The expanded service cost $162K, but the airport recovered those costs in about nine months ahead of what was anticipated. Users pay for this service based on the size of their aircraft up to $750 per use.