Toronto’s Pearson airport is launching a multibillion-dollar upgrade that aims to boost passenger numbers by more than a third to 65 million a year by the early 2030s.
The revitalization plan looks to ramp up traffic and tighten on-time performance with improvements ranging from repaved runways to “modernized retail” and possible terminal expansions.
The announcement on Monday is part of a broader infrastructure renewal and expansion program at Pearson airport dubbed Pearson LIFT (long-term investments in facilities and terminals).
Officials said the initial $3-billion phase focuses on several areas, including:
- Expanded airfield with more aircraft parking positions
- New “high-speed taxiway” to speed up the time it takes for airplanes to move between runways and gates
- Upgrading approximately 20,000 airfield lights with a new “real-time” and “state-of-the-art” system
- More chargers for electric maintenance vehicles
- Upgrading 30 kilometres of baggage infrastructure at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, peak capacity will see around 100,000 bags moved a day
Toronto Pearson International Airport CEO Deborah Flint framed the renovations as a gateway to greater global trade and passenger satisfaction.
“We know that in today’s time, Pearson must be ambitious, we must be dynamic and we must be transformative,” she told attendees at a news conference Monday morning.
Pearson airport is Canada’s largest with more than 47 million travellers annually, and there are hopes to grow that figure by 35 per cent within about seven years. Flint said the initial round of investments should add capacity for three million more passengers.
She noted the role the airport plays in moving freight, highlighting that 45 per cent of cargo destined across Canada moves through Toronto Pearson.
The renewal effort comes as the government considers privatizing Canada’s federally owned airports, partly due to the massive cost of maintaining the facilities.