More jobs and work underway as billion dollar upgrade launched at Canada’s largest and busiest airport.
More jobs are coming to Pearson International Airport as a more than a billion dollar upgrade is underway to gear up Canada’s largest and busiest airport for future travel.
Officials of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) said the massive investment is ‘aimed at preparing Canada’s largest airport for the challenges and opportunities of the coming years and beyond.’
The GTAA said in a release on April 12 that passenger traffic is expected to grow to 65 million passengers in the 2030s, compared to 45 million last year.
The work will help the airport cater to 65 million passengers yearly in the 2030s.
“Toronto Pearson has been meeting passenger needs by deploying extraordinary resources to many of its aged assets and facilities,’ the authority stated.
“We will deliver a world-class passenger experience, integrate smart architecture, unlock the digital potential in air travel, and advance towards a net-zero future,” said Deborah Flint, the GTAA’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
“These plans are anchored to our ambition to build an airport that will strengthen international competitiveness, leverage innovation, and advance sustainability, all which drive economic returns for Canada.”
Some 50,000 people are now employed at Pearson Airport and many live in the Etobicoke area.
The work will focus on modernizing airport assets, including high speed taxi lanes to improve airfield performance, modernized airfield electric lighting and control system, interim terminal facilities, and investments in power generation to advance towards net-zero targets.
The GTAA said the investment will generate billions of dollars in economic benefits and provide local jobs.
Chair Doug Allingham said the investments will strengthen the supply chain, open the door to new opportunities for Canadian businesses, and create good jobs right here in the GTA.
Some 45 million passengers passed through the airport last year and it will become busier in years to come.
“Together, they will enable sustainable growth and competitiveness on a global scale,” Allingham said.
These enhancements will pave the way for Toronto Pearson to become one of the greenest, technologically advanced, and passenger-friendly airports in North America and globally.
Nearly 50,000 people work at Toronto Pearson, including Canadian Air Transport Security Authority employees who help passengers get to their gates safely and on time. Many of them live in the Etobicoke area.
Flights from the airport provide non-stop and same-plane service to more than 155 cities around the world.
The airport operations cover 4,600 acres.