Passenger traffic at Canada’s busiest airport grew almost four-fold in the first nine months of this year.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (“GTAA”) today reported its financial and operating results for the three and nine months that ended September 30, 2022. Passenger activity increased by 6.5 million or 135.1 per cent to 11.2 million during the third quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. For the first nine months of this year, passenger activity rose from 6.8 million (2021) to 25.7 million (2022). That’s an increase of just under 274%, which helps explain all the gnashing of teeth and social media posts about Toronto Pearson over the summer and early fall.
Officials drily observed that “passenger activity increased given the easing of pandemic-related travel restrictions and pent-up travel demand compared to the same periods of 2021.”
“Over the course of the summer, Toronto Pearson went from one of the world’s most shut down major airports to one of its busiest,” said Deborah Flint, President and CEO, GTAA. “The delays and wait times experienced by passengers this summer have decreased dramatically, and we have seen better flow through the airport thanks to increased staffing by carriers and our partners in government, and a host of innovations aimed at smoothing processes.”
“I want passengers to know how much we value and appreciate their patience and loyalty. I commend our government and airline partners for the actions that have strengthened their operations and started to add more resiliency.
“Airport employees and partners have been working relentlessly on passengers’ behalf to improve their experience at Toronto Pearson. Airline delays and cancellations have improved and we’ve made significant progress by giving passengers more tools like launching our live dashboard, which allows passengers to check wait times for check-in counters, security screening, and customs and baggage,” Flint said.
“Our sights are now set squarely on working with partners and governments on both sides of the border to return resources at Pearson to meet demand today and in the future, particularly December holiday peak travel and Summer 2023.”
