The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has launched the first phase of procurement Friday for Pearson LIFT, a multibillion-dollar plan intended to help Canada’s largest airport meet growing demand for its services.
"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, GTAA president and CEO, in a press release.
More spending on the airport means more cost to travellers. Flint says she anticipates some moderate increases in Pearson's Airport Improvement Fee as the plan moves forward.
Planes at Toronto Pearson International Airport. (Photo Credit: redtea / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
"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 served 45 million passengers in 2023. That number is expected to increase to about 65 million annually over the next decade.
"Growth is coming to Pearson. It's coming across the global aviation industry and across North America," said Flint. "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," she said.
LIFT, which stands for Long-term Investment in Facilities and Terminals, will begin by modernizing of existing airport assets, including high-speed taxi lanes, improved airfield electric lighting and control system and interim terminal facilities.
"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 and start to develop those facilities that are going to help us expand sooner," said Flint.
Aéroport Pearson de Toronto (Photo Credit: Aéroport Pearson de Toronto)
The GTAA CEO said LIFT has been significantly informed by the challenges of the past several years, as a post-pandemic surge in airline traffic resulted in delays across the industry
"We're very committed to making sure that Toronto Pearson... is not going to experience the challenges of the past that will hinder its growth and competitiveness," she said.
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