Halifax Stanfield International Airport will receive an $18-million upgrade to its international connections facility – improvements that officials hope will attract more international flights to the Nova Scotia facility.

Sean Fraser, a Nova Scotia MP and minister of housing and infrastructure, said that Ottawa would provide up to $8.3 million to help fund the major renovations to the section of the Halifax airport where international travellers transfer to Canadian flights.

The project will add a floor that allows international passengers to make their connections to domestic destinations without having to first pass through customs and collect their baggage.

The public funding is being provided through the federal government’s trade corridors fund, while the Halifax International Airport Authority and a yet-to-be-named partner will contribute the remaining amount.

A spokeswoman for the airport said the project is expected to be completed next year.