Peterborough would profit if Pearson peaks

Toronto’s Pearson International Airport has a major problem on the horizon – although that horizon is 20 years distant.

That’s when Pearson will hit its ceiling for handling passengers, 65 million annually.

By 2045, 90 million people will be looking to fly in and out of Toronto, according to a new 30-year planning forecast.

Peterborough could see that as an opportunity, or as just another big city headache to be thankfully ignored.

Chris Sawicki of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority said as much after making a presentation on Pearson’s future.

Peterborough can take “whatever role it wants to play” in handling all those extra passengers, he said.

Does the city want it’s airport to be a secondary passenger hub? And is that even feasible? Feasible, yes. Past passenger services have failed here because Pearson is too close. It is easy and much less expensive to drive there rather than boarding a connecting flight in Peterborough.

But when international airlines are forced to look for alternative landing sites, close becomes good.

Those who think the Peterborough airport is too far from downtown Toronto haven’t been watching flight trends. Frankfurt, Oslo, Munich and Paris are all served by secondary passenger airports that are anywhere from 115 to 150 kilometres away.

Oslo-Torp Airport is a good comparison. It’s 110 kilometres south of Oslo in Sandefjord, a city of 45,000. There are train and bus connections to the capital city and a free shuttle from the airport to the train station.

Passenger carriers fly in and out of Torp from 30 international centres.

Improved Peterborough to Toronto links already being developed. Hwy. 407 will soon provide a second direct four-lane route to the GTA. And while the current plan for train service might stall, it is certainly feasible over the next two decades.

But does Peterborough want a passenger hub? The answer should be: Yes. Airports can be a nuisance. Jets are loud and they land and take off at all hours of the day, seven days a week.

However that nuisance factor can be controlled. It would mean planning now to keep new subdivisions from being built under future flight paths.

A busier passenger airport would extend capacity for cargo flights, attracting business and industry and creating jobs. As Sawicki noted, the area around Pearson International is Ontario’s second biggest employment hub, surpassed only by downtown Toronto.

And some of those passengers would inevitably spend time in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, boosting tourism.

Growth is coming. The province is setting Peterborough up to be a regional centre while restricting development between here and the GTA.

Planning for that long-term growth should include services and transportation links for an active passenger airport.