Pearson embarks on upgrades program
Toronto’s airports authority has announced a multibillion-dollar plan to update and modernize Toronto Pearson Airport.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority said it launched the first phase of procurement for Pearson LIFT, a plan intended to help the airport meet growing demand.
“This is the very beginning of what will be a decade-long investment in our facilities and our terminals across the airport,” said Deborah Flint, president and CEO of the GTAA.
“After many, many years, where we have had tired and aged assets across the airport facility, we’ll be systematically investing in those, investing in them to bring them up to not just a state of great repair, but positioning them for the future.”
Pearson saw 45 million passengers in 2023 and is expected to see about 65 million annually by the early 2030s, the GTAA said.
“Toronto Pearson has been meeting passenger needs by deploying extraordinary resources to many of its aged assets and facilities, which is not a sustainable solution with passenger traffic expected to grow,” it said.
“Growth is coming to Pearson. It’s coming across the global aviation industry and across North America,” said Flint.
LIFT, Long-term Investment in Facilities and Terminals, will begin with a program focused on “the fundamentals,” said Flint.
The program will see the modernization of existing airport assets, including highspeed taxi lanes, a modernized airfield electric lighting and control system, and interim terminal facilities. The plan also includes power generation to help the airport achieve net-zero targets.
“After what we experienced with the surge of growth and recovery, the challenges with our facilities in the recent past, we want to get ahead of that as best we can,” said Flint.