Passenger activity is way up at Toronto Pearson. It’s not a surprise to anyone who watches the news, but Greater Toronto Area Airport officials today said Passenger activity increased by 8.3 million or 780.4 per cent during the second quarter of 2022. For the first half of the year, passenger activity was up by 12.5 million or 584.1 per cent, when compared to the same periods of 2021. Passenger activity increased given the easing of pandemic-related travel restrictions and pent-up travel demand compared to the same period of 2021. Nevertheless, all measures of operating activity continue to be well below Read more
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The head of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority says things are gradually getting better in several key areas at Toronto Pearson. Deborah Flint, President and Chief Executive Officer of the GTAA, said today that Canada’s busiest airport is “seeing measurable improvements in flight delays, cancellations, baggage delivery and wait times. “The aviation system worldwide is facing a perfect storm as it strives to improve operations in the aftermath of COVID-19. But the industry is rebounding, and the metrics we are sharing today show how working with our partners is yielding results,” she said. While acknowledging the difficulties faced this summer, Read more
The Trudeau government says it’s continuing to work at easing crowding and other problems at Canadian airports, and that senior officials met with Toronto Pearson Airport management this week. It doesn’t appear to be helping, as cancellations and delays remain about what they were a week ago. FlightAware.com reports 33 flights were cancelled at Pearson on Wednesday, roughly 5% of all flights. Another 242 departing flights were delayed, about 40%. It wasn’t a lot better at Montreal Trudeau, where seven flights (2%) were cancelled and 123 flights (39%) were delayed. Here’s a statement they issued today: The Minister of Transport, Read more
Mandatory random testing of fully vaccinated travellers arriving at some Canadian airports will resume today. Ottawa paused mandatory random testing for those entering Canada by air on June 11, 2022, as part of a broader strategy to transition testing for air travellers outside of the airports. But mandatory random tests resume Tuesday, July 19, 2022 for travellers who qualify as fully vaccinated. The rules apply to those arriving in Canada by air to the four major Canadian airports—Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. Health officials say air travellers who qualify as fully vaccinated and who are selected for mandatory random testing, Read more
So, you think those of us who live in Toronto have it bad with Pearson Airport? Well, yeah, it’s been tough, with long wait times, lost luggage and general messiness. I’m not excusing our airlines or airports, but Pearson isn’t the only airport suffering right now. Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport has had major problems, as has Montreal Trudeau. Perhaps the worst, however, is London Heathrow. LHR, one of the world’s busiest airports, has made the extraordinary move of asking airlines to stop selling tickets for outbound travel this summer. CNN reports that Heathrow will be limiting passenger traffic to just 100,000 departures per Read more
