YYZ: Toronto Pearson International Airport

If you have ever flown TO or FROM Toronto Pearson International Airport, you saw three characters YYZ prominently displayed on your baggage tags – airport code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Toronto Pearson International Airport

also known as Lester B. Pearson International Airport or simply Toronto Pearson, is the primary airport serving the Golden Horseshoe, urban agglomeration including Toronto that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada’s population. The airport is located 22.5km northwest of Downtown Toronto. In 1984, the airport was renamed to Lester B. Pearson International Airport in honour of Lester B. Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Pearson is the largest and busiest airport in Canada. In 2010, it handled 31.8 million passengers, and 418,017 aircraft movements. Toronto Pearson is:
  • amongst the Top 35 busiest airports by total passenger traffic
  • the world’s 20th busiest airport by international passenger traffic
  • the 18th busiest airport by aircraft movements.
In 2006, the Pearson International airport was selected as the best global airport by the UK-based Institute of Transport Management. An extensive network of daily non-stop domestic flights is operated from Toronto Pearson by several airlines to all major and many secondary cities across all provinces of Canada. The airport also serves as an important North American global gateway, with 76 airlines providing service on routes to over 150 international destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The first landing of an A380 in Toronto was June 1, 2009, operated by Emirates. Since then, the A380 operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from/to Dubai. Traffic flow is steady at Pearson throughout the year, but during the day, peak passenger, cargo and aircraft movements are between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. daily. Transpacific flights from East Asia peak late in the night, while Transatlantic flights from Europe peak during late afternoon. Hub for Air Canada and Other Airlines Lester B. Pearson International Airport is the largest hub for Air Canada, making it a major Star Alliance hub airport. It is also a hub for passenger airlines Air Canada Jazz, Air Georgian, Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines and West Jet, as well as cargo airline FedEx Express. The Pearson International airport is operated by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) as part of Transport Canada’s National Airports System and is one of eight Canadian airports with facilities for United States border pre-clearance.

Pearson Airport Development Program

The GTAA commenced a C$4.4 billion Airport Development Program with focus on terminal, airside, and infield development, utilities and airport support facilities to occur 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 facilities that were removed for the new terminal. Two new runways were built to increase the number of aircraft that Toronto Pearson can process. Terminal 2 saw its last day in operation as a passenger terminal January 29, 2007, and airlines moved to the newly completed Pier F, or Hammerhead Pier at Terminal 1 the following day. Demolition of Terminal 2 began in April 2007 and concluded November 2008. Terminal 1 was designed to easily accommodate a future expansion. Future projections expect Toronto Pearson to handle 55 million passengers annually by 2020.    

If you have ever flown TO or FROM Toronto Pearson International Airport, you saw three characters YYZ prominently displayed on your baggage tags – airport code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Toronto Pearson International Airport

also known as Lester B. Pearson International Airport or simply Toronto Pearson, is the primary airport serving the Golden Horseshoe, urban agglomeration including Toronto that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada’s population. The airport is located 22.5km northwest of Downtown Toronto.

In 1984, the airport was renamed to Lester B. Pearson International Airport in honour of Lester B. Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Pearson is the largest and busiest airport in Canada. In 2010, it handled 31.8 million passengers, and 418,017 aircraft movements. Toronto Pearson is:

  • amongst the Top 35 busiest airports by total passenger traffic
  • the world’s 20th busiest airport by international passenger traffic
  • the 18th busiest airport by aircraft movements.

In 2006, the Pearson International airport was selected as the best global airport by the UK-based Institute of Transport Management.

An extensive network of daily non-stop domestic flights is operated from Toronto Pearson by several airlines to all major and many secondary cities across all provinces of Canada. The airport also serves as an important North American global gateway, with 76 airlines providing service on routes to over 150 international destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

The first landing of an A380 in Toronto was June 1, 2009, operated by Emirates. Since then, the A380 operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from/to Dubai.

Traffic flow is steady at Pearson throughout the year, but during the day, peak passenger, cargo and aircraft movements are between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. daily. Transpacific flights from East Asia peak late in the night, while Transatlantic flights from Europe peak during late afternoon.

Hub for Air Canada and Other Airlines

Lester B. Pearson International Airport is the largest hub for Air Canada, making it a major Star Alliance hub airport. It is also a hub for passenger airlines Air Canada Jazz, Air Georgian, Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines and West Jet, as well as cargo airline FedEx Express. The Pearson International airport is operated by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) as part of Transport Canada’s National Airports System and is one of eight Canadian airports with facilities for United States border pre-clearance.

Pearson Airport Development Program

The GTAA commenced a C$4.4 billion Airport Development Program with focus on terminal, airside, and infield development, utilities and airport support facilities to occur 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 facilities that were removed for the new terminal. Two new runways were built to increase the number of aircraft that Toronto Pearson can process.

Terminal 2 saw its last day in operation as a passenger terminal January 29, 2007, and airlines moved to the newly completed Pier F, or Hammerhead Pier at Terminal 1 the following day. Demolition of Terminal 2 began in April 2007 and concluded November 2008. Terminal 1 was designed to easily accommodate a future expansion. Future projections expect Toronto Pearson to handle 55 million passengers annually by 2020.

 

 

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