Toronto City Centre Airport

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Toronto/City Centre Airport
IATA: YTZ - ICAO: CYTZ
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Toronto Port Authority
Serves Toronto, Ontario
Elevation AMSL 251 ft (77 m)
Coordinates 43°37′39″N, 079°23′46″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 2,880 878 Asphalt
08/26 4,000 1,219 Asphalt
15/33 2,780 847 Asphalt

Toronto/City Centre Airport, (IATA: YTZ, ICAO: CYTZ), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands.

Opened in 1939 as the Port George VI Airfield, it became generally known as the Island Airport. At opening it was intended to be Toronto's principal airport; a secondary airport was built in Malton (now part of Mississauga) for use in case of inclement weather. However, these roles quickly became reversed, and the Malton Airport became the main airport, a role in which it continues today as Toronto Pearson International Airport. In 1994, the name was officially changed to Toronto City Centre Airport, but most still call it the "Island Airport."

The original 1939 wooden frame terminal building is still present and used although not as a commercial passenger terminal. The only major change to the structure was a change to sloping glass in the control tower to facilitate night operations.

Contents

[edit] Ownership and usage

The airport is owned by the Toronto Port Authority (formerly Toronto Harbour Commission). The operation of the TCCA is subject to a Tripartite Agreement, created in 1983 at the request of the City of Toronto, the Toronto Harbour Commission, and the Government of Canada. The agreement made provisions for a restricted list of aircraft allowed to use the airport due to noise levels, prohibitions on jet traffic except for MEDEVAC flights and prohibition against the construction of a fixed link between Toronto Island and the mainland.

The TCCA is used primarily for medical emergency flights (due to its proximity to downtown hospitals), small charter flights, private aircraft, and flight training. As of October 23, 2006, it is also used for Porter Airlines commercial flights. There is a seaplane base adjacent to the main airport. In 2005, the airport recorded about 120,000 flights, down from an historic high of 240,000 in the mid 1960s. About 80,000 passengers use the airport annually down from a peak of 400,000 in the 1980s when the City Express commuter airline was based at the airport.

Since the late 1990s there has been great debate over the future of the airport, which has required constant financial assistance from the federal government. The Toronto Port Authority has called for either expansion of the airport to accommodate up to 900,000 passengers annually, or its closure. Expansion plans include the increased use of turboprop planes and the construction of a new terminal building.

The present expansion plans do not include enlarging airport runways or property. Some people have speculated about the possible introduction of regional jets to serve destinations such as New York City, Chicago, Detroit and Washington DC but there has been no serious proposal for this and the legal changes to the tripartate agreement governing the airport would have to be made and runways would have to be extended to support regional jets.

The main proposal for increasing traffic at the TCCA is a new airline, Porter Airlines, started by Robert Deluce. Porter Airline is a subsidiary of REGCO Holdings. Porter Airlines will use locally built Bombardier Aerospace Q400 turboprop aircraft to provide service to several destinations. Deluce's proposal was initially conditional on the construction of a fixed link to the airport. The fixed link was approved by the city in 2003 but a change in leadership resulted in a reversal of this decision. Despite this decision Porter Airlines placed an order for ten Q400s, announced on February 1 2006. [1]

Local activists, among them the lobby group Community AIR (Airport Impact Review), oppose the expansion on the grounds of increased air and noise pollution, as well as safety concerns. They claim that the increase in traffic will hamper recent government initiatives to rejuvenate the Toronto waterfront. Proponents point to the expansion as a financial boost for the city's downtown.

[edit] Terminal renovations

In February 2006 renovations began on the terminal buildings. The costs are fully funded by City Centre Aviation Ltd. another subsidiary of REGCO Holdings. Construction will upgrade lounges, adding new food services. The new electronic check-terminals will also be added. The renovations required the eviction of Air Canada who was using the old facilities.

[edit] Mainland access

The Maple City ferry
Enlarge
The Maple City ferry

The airport is served by the ferry "TCCA1" launched in October 2006. The TCCA1 replaced the aged "Maple City" ferry launched in 1964.

The ferry transports vehicles and passengers from the foot of Bathurst street every 15 minutes from 6:45AM to 10:07PM. At 121 metres, it is reputedly the world's shortest regularly-scheduled ferry route. Access to the airport from the rest of the Islands is restricted.

[edit] Controversy surrounding the Island Airport

Further information: Toronto Port Authority

The Toronto City Centre Airport has been at the centre of public attacks for years. There are many within the city who feel that the Toronto waterfront should not be home to an airport. As a result community groups and politicians have fought to have the airport shut down. As a result any attempt to modernize or expand services at the airport, including increased service has been fought.

There was a plan to link the island to the mainland by a new bridge, and in 2002 Toronto City Council, while Mel Lastman was Mayor of Toronto, amended the tripartite agreement to permit a fixed link and approved the construction of a lift bridge. It almost became a reality, with contractors showing up at the foot of Bathurst St on the first day of planned construction work. A mix up at City Hall was to blame, with confusion about what had been signed when and by whom.

In November 2003, David Miller was elected Mayor of Toronto. One of his major election platforms was "stopping the airport expansion", which actually meant a halt of construction of a bridge to the TCCA. This change was promised to cost "no more than $2 postage". After a vote by the incoming city council that withdrew its support of the project, the federal government eventually agreed to revoke authorization for the bridge. The city was sued for breach of contract by REGCO Holdings, but the lawsuit was eventually dropped. The Toronto Port Authority was compensated by the federal government (who itself in turn settled with Robert Deluce and two other parties) in May 2005 for $35 million dollars. In 2006, Miller restated his position on the airport. He said "A busy commercial airport doesn't have a place (downtown). Industrial use doesn't have a use in a viable waterfront." (CTV News)

[edit] Airlines

Piper Aztec portrayed against the city skyline
Enlarge
Piper Aztec portrayed against the city skyline

On July 6, 2006, Air Canada announced that its subsidiary, Air Canada Jazz, would start operating flights to Ottawa and Montreal from the City Centre airport from Nov 3, 2006, and Montreal now delayed to Jan 2007 with 10 daily weekday flights to Ottawa and 7 daily weekday flights to Montreal. [2]

[edit] Public transportation

The 509 Harbourfront Streetcar route through the intersection of Queens Quay and Bathurst Street passes the Ferry Dock. From there a ferry runs every 15 minutes to the Island Airport Dock.

[edit] Airport Data

[edit] Lighting

Runway 08 - AS(TE HI) P1: Runway Identification Lights, High intensity runway, threshold, & end lights, variable 5 settings, PAPI for aircraft with eye-to-wheel height up to 3 m (10 feet). Runway 26 - AS(TE HI) AP Runway 15 - AP

[edit] Communications

  • ATIS 133.6, Automatic Terminal Information Service
  • Ground 121.7, 06:45 to 22:45 hrs. local, daily
  • Tower City 118.2, 119.2, 226.5, 06:45 to 22:45 hrs. local
  • Emergency Frequency 121.5.
  • ATF Aerodrome Traffic Frequency, traffic 118.2, 22:45 to 06:45 hrs local, daily, within Control Zone TO BELOW 2500 ASL
  • Arrival Toronto 133.4, 358.1
  • Departure Toronto 133.4, 363.8
  • VDF 118.2, 119.2, 121.7 limited hours, VHF Direction Finder.
  • Emergency Frequency 121.5

[edit] Navigation

  • VOT 110.4, VOR receiver test facility
  • NDB GIBRALTAR POINT TZ 257 (NDB power output less than 50 watts)
  • DME ITZ 110.15 Ch38(Y) N43 37 38 W79 23 58 (antenna elevation 90 m (296 ft) ASL) at aerodrome XTC Localizer, ITZ DME unmonitored when tower closed
  • ILS ITZ 110.15 Ch 38(Y), RVR
  • LOC XTC 110.15

[edit] Tenants

[edit] See also

There is also another Air Charter company called Cameron Air Service. They operate a fleet of 4 amphibious float planes, 2 Cessna caravans, and 2 Cessna 206's, with exansion plans to include a longer range twin turbine aircraft. The aircraft are operated on straight wheels during the winter months for executive charter services, in both the U.S and Canada.

Fire fighting and EMS is provided by Toronto Fire Services and Toronto EMS.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Additional photos

View from the southwest
Enlarge
View from the southwest
CYTZ Runway 26
Enlarge
CYTZ Runway 26


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