Toronto Pearson International Airport

Lester B. Pearson International Airport, also known as Toronto Pearson International Airport or simply Toronto Pearson (IATA: YYZ, ICAO: CYYZ), is a major international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated 27 kilometres (17 mi) northwest of Downtown Toronto in the city of Mississauga. It is the busiest airport in Canada^[3] and the primary hub of flag carrier Air Canada and is also a hub for Air Canada Jazz, WestJet, Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines, and Skyservice. The airport is operated by Greater Toronto Airports Authority as part of the National Airports System of Transport Canada.^[5] It is one of eight Canadian airports with facilities for United States border preclearance.

Toronto Pearson handled 30.9 million passengers and 505,000 tonnes of cargo in 2006, ranking 29th in the world by passenger traffic.^[4] It was the 21st busiest airport by aircraft movements in 2007 with 425,513 flights.^[6] In 2006, the airport was selected as the best global airport by the Institute of Transport Management in the United Kingdom.^[7]

History

Malton Airport in 1939

Malton Airport in the 1930s

The airport was created from nine farmland properties that were purchased by the Toronto Harbour Commission in 1937. It first opened in 1939 as Malton Airport, named for its location near Malton, Ontario, bounded by Derry Road to the north, Airport Road (6th Line) to the east, Elmbank Side Road to the south and Torbram Road (5th Line) to the west.

The first terminal was built in 1938 and consisted of a standard frame terminal building from a converted farm house. The original airport covered 420 acres (1.7 km²) with full lighting, radio, weather reporting equipment, two hard surface runways and one grass landing strip.

Malton Airport was sold to the City of Toronto in 1940 and was used as a military training airport. an air traffic control centre was added in 1942. The airport served as a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facility during World War II.

A second terminal, similar to the existing structure at the Toronto City Centre Airport, was built along Airport Road in 1949 to replace the first terminal. It was able to handle 400,000 passengers a year, and had an observation deck on the roof. Further expansion of the airport saw the expropriation of land to the south of Elmbank Side Road and westwards past Torbram to Dixie Road. The airport's growth eventually lead to the disappearance of the much of the town of Elmbank. The runways for Malton consisted of 14-32, a 11,050 feet (3,370 m) runway used for test flights for the CF-105 Arrow (Avro Arrow) fighter from the Avro Canada plant and now exists only as a taxiway to 05/23; 14-32, a 11,475 feet (3,498 m) north-south runway (replaced by 15-33R); and 10-28, a 7,425 feet (2,263 m) northwest-southeast runway.

Transport Canada obtained control of Malton Airport in 1958, and the airport was renamed Toronto International Airport in 1960.

A view of Toronto International Airport in 1973, showing the original Terminal 1 (now demolished)

The second terminal was demolished in the late 1960s to make way for the Terminal 1 (T1) building. The original T1 (also called Aeroquay One) had a square central structure topped by a parking garage with about eight levels and ringed by a two-storey passenger concourse leading to the gates. It was designed by John B. Parkin and construction took place between 1957 and 1964.

In 1972, the Canadian government expropriated land east of Toronto for a second major airport, Pickering Airport, to relieve congestion at Toronto International. The project was postponed in 1975, partly due to opposition by community activists and environmentalists. However, the government retained ownership of the expropriated land.

Considered state-of-the-art in the 1960s, Terminal 1 became overloaded by the early 1970s, resulting in the building of another terminal. Terminal 2, originally intended as a freight terminal, opened on June 15 1972. However, the failed development of the Pickering Airport forced the airport to modify Terminal 2's plan into a two floor, 26-gate passenger terminal. Initially, it was served only by charter airlines, but became the hub for all Air Canada passenger flights on April 29 1973. A tunnel with moving sidewalks at the northwest corner of Terminal 2 connected it with Terminal 1.

The site of Terminal 2 was to have been the location for the planned Aeroquays Two and Three, duplicates of the design of the original Terminal 1 (Aeroquay One), however their inefficiency in handling wide-body passenger aircraft by the late 1960s forced the airport to abandon the circular terminal concept.

Terminal 2 was designed for three airlines: American, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), and Canadian Pacific Airlines (CP Air). In the later development stages, it became apparent that it would not be viable in this form, the major complaint being the lack of indoor parking and the lack of windows. As AA, BA (formerly BOAC) and CP opted out of T2, Air Canada, as the government airline, was forced to move its operations there against its will. Initially, it was operated as three separate areas, befitting the three airlines for which it was designed: furthest west, (designed for CP) the Domestic zone; at the centre (designed for BA), International; furthest east, (for AA) Transborder. In the late 1970s, T2 was redesigned again; this iteration lasting until the acquisition of Canadian Airlines in 2000. The western zone remained Domestic, but was now colour coded red. In the middle, a separate Rapidair area, was created for YOW (Ottawa) and YUL (Montreal) flights; it was red as well. East of that was the Transborder area, colour white. A new section was added on the east end for International flights and was coded blue. An airside corridor along the southern edge of T2 was added, giving access to and from Customs; this made it possible for aircraft arriving in one zone to depart with passengers from another zone without regating the aircraft.

Terminal 3 as it appeared before completion of the East Processor Extension

The airport was renamed to Lester B. Pearson International Airport in 1984, in honour of Lester Bowles Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Operationally, the airport is often referred to as Toronto Pearson. Terminal 3 opened on 1991, to offset traffic from Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Before its opening, Terminal 3 was the designation for the CP Air hangar at the airport during 1971 to handle the increased volume at Terminal 1.

As part of the National Airports Policy, management responsibilities of the Toronto Pearson were transferred from Transport Canada to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority in 1996. The C$4.4 billion Airport Development Program commenced with focus on terminal development, airside development, infield development, utilities and airport support facilities over a 10-year period. Work began to replace Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 with a new Terminal 1, which along with a Terminal 3 would become the two passenger terminal facilities at Toronto Pearson.

To ensure the ability of Toronto Pearson to accommodate its growing aircraft volume, substantial redevelopment of the airside and infield systems took place. Cargo facilities were added in the centre of the airport between the parallel north-south runways, to increase capabilities and to offset the loss of the cargo facitlites that were removed for the new terminal. ^[8] Two new runways were built to increase the number of aircraft that Toronto Pearson can process. A north-south runway, 15R/33L, was added and completed in 1997. Another east-west runway, 06R/24L, was completed in 2002.^[9]

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Toronto Pearson was part of Operation Yellow Ribbon, as it received 19 of the diverted flights that were coming into the United States, even though Transport Canada and NAV CANADA instructed pilots to avoid the airport as a security measure.

Terminal 1 building

The new Terminal 1 opened on April 6, 2004. Previously, Terminal 2 had a facility for United States border preclearance and handled both domestic and international transborder traffic. Domestic traffic was moved to the new Terminal 1 when it became operational, leaving Terminal 2 to handle transborder United States traffic for Air Canada and their Star Alliance partner United Airlines.

Terminal 2 saw its last day in operation as a passenger terminal on January 29, 2007, and airlines moved to the newly completed Pier F at Terminal 1 the following day. Demolition of Terminal 2 began in April 2007 and is expected to continue until November 2008.^[10] Terminal 1 was designed in a way that will allow for future expansion. Future projections see Toronto Pearson handling 55 million passengers annually by 2020, and Terminal 3 will also be expanded as needed to service the passengers. An estimated 32 million passengers are said to be passing through Pearson by the end of 2008.

Terminals and airlines

Toronto Pearson International Airport currently has two operating terminals: Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. T1 opened on April 6 2004. The old Terminal 1, which closed simultaneously, was demolished to make room for additional gates at Pier E. Pier F at Terminal 1, which has an enlarged end called "Hammerhead F", opened on January 30 2007 to replace Terminal 2. This pier is for international traffic and adds 7 million passengers per year to the airport's total capacity. Redevelopment of the airport was a logistical challenge as the existing terminals remained operational throughout construction and demolition.

Toronto Pearson International Airport is one of eight Canadian airports that has United States border preclearance facilities. US Border Pre-clearance is located in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.

Terminal 1 seen from the tarmac

Terminal 1

Inuksuit sculptures stand in front of the departures entrance at Terminal 1.

The new Terminal 1 Check-in Hall

Moving walkway leading to departure gates

Richard Serra's Tilted Spheres

Terminal 1 is designed to handle domestic, international and transborder flights in one facility. The Terminal features three piers: Piers D and E with 38 gates (opened November 1, 2005) and Pier F with 23 gates (opened January 30, 2007). Pier F serves transborder and international flights, replacing Terminal 2 and the Infield Terminal (IFT). A Pier G is slated to be built in the future if demand warrants.^[11]

The terminal was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill International Ltd., Adamson Associates Architects, and Moshe Safdie and Associates.

Terminal 1 has 58 gates: 101, 103, 105, 107-112, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131-145, 151, 153, 155, 157, 160-163, 164A-164B, 165, 166A-166B, 167-181, 191, 193.

Infield Terminal (IFT)

Constructed during 2001/02, and opened on April 6 2003, the IFT was built to handle traffic displaced during the Terminal 1 development. The IFT has 11 gates (521 to 531), and is currently not in use. It will be reactivated once passenger demand rises to a point where Terminal 1 needs to be expanded again. The GTAA has also discussed using the Infield Terminal for high-security flights, such as flights to the Middle East and India. It is frequently used as a location for film and television shoots.

East Holdroom

The east holdroom was added in 1990 and originally served as a satellite terminal for Terminal 2, handling mostly short-haul transborder flights for Air Ontario and later, Air Canada Jazz. Although it can only accommodate approximately twelve turbo-prop aircraft, the east holdroom has been designated all of Terminal 2's former gate numbers (200-299) and will remain in operation until further expansion of Terminal 1. The east holdroom was originally accessed by a shuttle bus from Terminal 2, but is now accessed by a shuttle bus from Terminal 1 after clearing the US Border Pre-clearance facility.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 Building after the EPE opened in 2006 (March 2008)

Terminal 3 overview

The Terminal 3 Grand Hall

Terminal 3, which opened on Thursday February 21, 1991, was built to offset traffic from the old Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Terminal 3 was initially advertised as "Trillium Terminal 3" and "The Trillium Terminal". It was built as a private venture and was a state of the art terminal containing, among other things, a US customs pre-clearance facility. A parking garage and a hotel (formerly Swissôtel, now Sheraton) is located across from the terminal. A bridge walkway conveniently connects the terminal to the hotel and parking garage. In 1997 the GTAA purchased Terminal 3, shortly thereafter implementing a C$350 million expansion.

The GTAA Terminal 3 Redevelopment Team (T3RD) was formed to oversee the terminal expansion.^[13] In 2004, the Pier C Expansion opened. In June 2006, the East Processor Extension (EPE) started operations. With a soaring, undulating roofline, the EPE added 40 new check-in counters, new retail space, more secure 'hold-screening' for baggage and a huge picture window offering one of the most convenient apron viewing locations at the airport. Improved Canadian Border services and a more open arrivals hall were included in Phase I of the expansion. Phase II of the EPE has been completed in 2007 and includes larger security screening areas and additional international baggage claim areas. Due for completion by late 2007 is the West Processor Expansion Shell with complete outfitting to be complete by early 2008.^[14]

Terminal 3 has 38 gates: A2-A6, B7-B8, B10-B23, C24-C41

The following airlines use Terminal 3:

Access

Car

The airport is accessible from Highway 427 (just north of the Highway 401 interchange) or from Highway 409, a spur off Highway 401 leading directly into the airport. Airport Road to the east is another access road to the airport.

Bus

Bus services connecting Toronto to Pearson Airport include Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) routes, The 192 Airport Rocket route provides all-day accessible express bus service between Kipling Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway Line and Pearson Airport. The 58A Malton route provides all-day bus service between Lawrence West Station on the Spadina Subway Line and Pearson Airport. This route also continues beyond the airport to Malton. The following two routes are available between the (approximate) hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily. The 300A Bloor-Danforth route provides overnight bus service along Danforth Avenue and Bloor Street to Toronto Pearson. The 307 Eglinton West route provides overnight bus service between Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue and Toronto Pearson. GO Transit operates a semi-express bus from York Mills and Yorkdale stations. In May 2008, GO transit added service from Richmond Hill and Square One to Pearson. There is a privately operated "Airport Express" (Pacific Western) bus serving various major downtown hotels. Mississauga Transit operates the 7 bus from its City Centre Transit Terminal at Square One Shopping Centre, likewise continuing on to Malton.

Can-ar Coach Service also runs buses to the airport. For more information, see Greyhound Canada's web site.

Toronto Airport Express

Main article: Pacific Western Transportation

In Toronto, P. W. Transportation operates airport shuttle buses between downtown locations and Pearson Airport under the Toronto Airport Express brand.^[16]

Taxis/Limousines

Toronto Pearson International Airport has pick-up locations for taxis, limos, out-of-town bus and/or shuttle services, offering transportation to downtown Toronto, cities throughout Ontario, and into Detroit.

Blue22 dedicated rail link

Main article: Blue22

Although the airport is near an existing railway line, it is not currently served by trains. On November 13 2003, Union Pearson AirLink Group, a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, was selected to finance, design, construct, operate, and maintain a rail link connecting Toronto Pearson with Toronto's Union Station, with a planned travel time of about twenty minutes. The service, to be called Blue22, is expected to eliminate 1.5 million car trips annually. The project, whose cost is estimated at $300-500 million, remains controversial due to opposition from neighbourhoods along the route.

The project will depend on the results of an environmental assessment and decisions from the Government of Canada.

Infrastructure and services

LINK Train

LINK Train
Terminal 1 Terminal 3 Viscount

Main article: LINK Train

In July 2006, the automated LINK Train people mover was opened, with two 6-car trains running between Terminals 1 and 3, and a reduced rate and airport staff parking lot on the other side of Airport Road at Viscount Drive.

The arrival and departure platform of the LINK Train's Terminal 3 station at Terminal 3

Support

• Main Control tower - 200 feet (61 m) was completed in 2000 and replaced the old tower (now demolished).
• Deicing Centre 1998
• Central Heating Plant
• Central Utilities Plant
  • Terminal 3 Switching Station
  • Bramalea Transformer station
• Carlingview Stormwater Control Facility
• Etobicoke Stormwater Management Facility 2000
• Moore Creek Stormwater Control Facility

Cargo and Business Aviation

There are two main cargo facilities at Pearson^[17]

• Cargo West Facilities - located between runways 15L-33R and 15R-33L are used by:
  • Air Canada Cargo
  • American Airlines
  • Bax Global - shipping and logistics
  • Canada Customs
  • Worldwide Flight Services Incorporated

• Cargo Area 5 or VISTA Cargo Centres Incorporated is located north of Terminal 3 and used by:
  • Air Canada
  • ACE Freight
  • Air France Cargo
  • Airline Cargo Sales
  • Air Time Express
  • Alitalia
  • All Trade Shipping
  • American Aviation
  • Airport Terminal Services
  • BWIA
  • Canada Customs
  • Canada Post
  • Cargo Sales Resources
  • Cargo Zone
  • CAS Cargo and Travel
  • Cathay Pacific
  • DHL
  • El Al Israel Airlines
  • Eva Air
  • Excel Cargo
  • Exp-Air Cargo
  • Freight Systems Incorporated
  • Handlex Incorporated
  • International Cargo
  • International Fastline Fowarding
  • Japan Airlines
  • KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
  • Korean Airlines
  • LOT Polish Airlines
  • Lufthansa Cargo
  • Martinair Cargo
  • Mayfield Cargo
  • Northern Europe-Finnair
  • Northwest Airlines
  • Onward Transportation
  • Orbit Brokers
  • Pine Tree Express
  • Platnium Air Cargo
  • Prestige International
  • Secure Maple Freight
  • Swiss International Airlines
  • Swissport
  • TBI
  • U Freight International
  • UPS and UPS SCS
  • Varig Logistics
  • VCC Cargo Services

Tenants of the cargo area of the north aviation facilities include:

• Shell Aerocentre Hangars and Flight Lounge
• Millardair - defunct
• All Cargo Airlines Limited
• Air 500

FedEx Canada Cargo occupy facilities at west side of airport near runway 05/23.

North Business Aviation Area

Next to the cargo terminals off Derry Road is refer to as the North Business Aviation Area. It is home to several tenants:

• Skycharter - private charter operator since 1968
• Hydro One (formerly Ontario Hydro) Helicopters - used for repair and maintenance work of hydro towers
• World Aviation Centre - now home to Landmark Aviation

Other tenants

• Peel Regional Police is the primary general police service at the airport. Airport Division is located on 2951 Convair Drive, on the south side of the airport near the Facilities Building along Highway 401.
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police maintain a Toronto Airport Detachment to provide federal police services. The Canada Border Services Agency as well as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service maintain extensive operations at the airport.

• The Greater Toronto Airports Authority administration offices are located on the south side of the airport. They were re-located when the original office was torn down to make way for the new Terminal 1's parking facilities.

• Esso Avitat
• Skyservice

Major incidents

Accidents

• The airport's deadliest accident took place on July 5 1970, when Air Canada Flight 621, a DC-8 jet, was flying on a Montreal-Toronto-Los Angeles route. The spoilers were inadvertently deployed before the plane attempted landing, forcing the pilots to abort landing and takeoff. Damage to the aircraft caused during the failed landing attempt caused the plane to break up in the air during the go-around, killing all 100 passengers and nine crew on board when it crashed in a field southwest of Bolton. Controversy remains over the cleanup effort following the crash, as both plane wreckage debris and human remains from the crash are still found on the site.^[18]
• On June 26 1978, Air Canada Flight 189 to Winnipeg overran the runway during an aborted takeoff, and crashed into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of 107 passengers on board the DC-9 were killed.
• On August 2 2005, Air France Flight 358, an Airbus A340-300 inbound from Paris, appeared to successfully land on runway 24L in a severe thunderstorm, but then failed to stop and ran off the runway into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. The rear third of the plane burst into flames. The flames had engulfed the whole plane by 18:00 except the cockpit and the wings. There were 43 injuries, none serious, and no fatalities. Many consider the accident's outcome – the aircraft's destruction without any fatalities – an example of improving safety standards and excellent response by the flight crew as well as airport fire and rescue personnel.^[19] Among other causes, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC) report indicated that the weather had contributed to the accident in several ways, and the crew had prematurely rejected a go-around. The report also pointed out that the crew crossed the runway threshold too high and landed late on the runway. ^[20] In July 2007, Air France and its insurers filed suit against the GTAA, the government of Canada, and Nav Canada, Canada's air traffic control agency, saying that they neglected to insure an adequate margin of safety with regards to runway 24L. The GTAA has reinforced that the airport meets all regulations and will defend that position in court. In its defence, the federal government notes that Air France continues to operate flights into Pearson, "...including those by A340 aircraft on Runway 24L since the said incident." ^[21]

The following accidents and incidents involved aircraft arriving and departing Toronto Pearson:

• 1983: Air Canada Flight 797, on a Dallas-Toronto-Montreal route, had an in-flight fire and landed in Cincinnati; half of the occupants died, including famed Canadian folksinger, Stan Rogers.
• 1985: A bomb was loaded onto Air India Flight 181, which departed from Toronto and arrived at Montreal. Air India Flight 182, using the same aircraft and carrying passengers who were on 181, was scheduled to fly a Montreal-London-Delhi-Mumbai route. The aircraft exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all of the passengers and crew.
• 2008: Air Canada Flight 190, flying from Victoria to Toronto experienced severe turbulence over the Rocky Mountains, injuring up to 10 passengers, and was forced to make an emergency landing in Calgary.

Notable visitors and miscellanea

• In 1969, American guitarist Jimi Hendrix was arrested at the airport for possession of hashish and heroin. Hendrix was acquitted after he argued in his trial defense that without him knowing, a fan slipped it into his bag.
• In 1977, a photograph focusing on the original Terminal 1, entitled "Toronto (Airport)" by George Hunter, was one of 116 images included on the golden record of the two Voyager spacecraft.^[22]
• In 1981, the Canadian rock group Rush recorded the Grammy Award Nominated instrumental titled "YYZ" in tribute to the airport. The song opens with the Morse code for the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) located at the airport and features sonically the atmosphere of travel at Toronto Pearson. From the hustle and bustle of people moving, airplanes taking off, waiting for arrivals and takeoffs, the frantic pace of missing a flight and the eventual landing at the destination, etc. is all captured in the song according to drummer Neil Peart.
• In 1987, the British Rock group Pink Floyd performed their rehearsals for the "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" World Tour in one of the Air Canada hangars at the airport.
• In 1994, the TVOntario (TVO) children's show called Mighty Machines filmed one of their first episodes (Mighty Machines at the Airport) at Terminal 3. Canadian Airlines was the featured airline.
• The Air France Flight 358 crash on August 2 2005 was dramatized on the television show Mayday, without the involvement of either Air France or the GTAA.
• The music video for Celine Dion's 2004 radio hit "You and I" was filmed partly at Toronto Pearson International Airport. This song was part of Air Canada's marketing campaign at the time.

See also

• CFYZ, the former radio station which broadcast travel and flight schedule information from the airport on 1280AM

References

External links

• Toronto Pearson International Airport - Greater Toronto Airports Authority
• Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Toronto Pearson International Airport from NAV CANADA as available.