Volunteers communicating the need for Pickering Airport
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has a big problem. Pearson International airport, the only airport the GTAA operates, is expected to reach its maximum safe mixed aircraft capacity of 520,000 aircraft movements a year (as stated in its 2008 master plan) in about 6 years at its current 2% annual growth rate. The GTAA answer […]
In 2001 an American Airlines Airbus A300, Flight 587, departed New York’s John F. Kennedy International airport 1 minute 30 seconds behind a Boeing 747. It encountered the 747s wake turbulence and crashed. All 260 people onboard and 5 people on the ground died. Wake turbulence is extremely rough air created by jet powered aircraft. […]
The federal airport lands in Pickering, a billion dollar public land reserve just east of Toronto, are owned by the Canadian tax payer. For years It has been leased out on short term one year leases to commercial and tenant farmers. But now, there is a possibility, thanks to either a deliberate or unintentional […]
It’s been more than a year since federal Transportation Minister, the Honourable Marc Garneau, received the plea From Toronto’s mayor, John Tory , to please do something about the noise. The noise the Mayor of Toronto is referring to is the increasing noise created by the congestion of jets landing at Toronto Pearson International airport. […]
How will a new Pickering airport fit in with the existing major jet airports in the Toronto area? A look at the size of the population they serve and logistics provides the answer. A jet airport is typically an airport with at least one 5000ft or longer runway, with support for an instrument landing system […]
Should Pearson build a sixth runway, or is it better for regional capacity to instead build Pickering airport? Today Pearson airport has five runways but can only use two of them for landings at once. This is due to their close proximity to each other and Transport Canada safety standards. The GTAA ,which runs only […]
Opponents of Pickering airport often point to Hamilton airport as a possible solution to the Toronto regions jet airport capacity limitations. Hamilton politicians and business leaders think so, but does building out Hamilton airport offer a real solution? The tyranny of geography and logistics has other ideas. It turns out that Hamilton is not economically or […]
Is it valid to compare Pickering and Mirabel airports? A quick fact check shows that they are polar opposites. Here are three key differences: The reason to built is different. Mirabel airport was a politically drive creation. It was built in the 1970s to try and jump start Montreal’s economy. It was intended to replace […]
As mentioned in a previous post, the GTAA is upping Pearson airport’s maximum aircraft capacity not by adding a new runway, but with an accounting trick. It is simply increasing its capacity numbers from its old 2008 forecast model and planning for 100% utilization all day long. It is boldly planning for Heathrow style congestion. […]
The GTAA’s new master plan increased its maximum capacity by 20% without building any significant improvement to its airside infrastructure. How is it achieving this magical increase? During a 5 minute discussion after a public meeting on December 6th, Michael Belanger, GTAA director of “Aviation Programs & Compliance”, explained it by using Heathrow as an […]
