Toronto’s Pearson Airport to limit the number of flights during peak travel times

Move will affect March break and summer travel season

A photo of the Greater Toronto Area shot from an airplane.
A photo of the Greater Toronto Area shot from an airplane. (Tianye Gu/Toronto Observer) 

Toronto’s Pearson Airport is limiting the number of aircraft that can arrive and depart during peak travel times such as March Break and the summer travel season.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which announced the new policy on Feb. 28, hopes limiting the number of passengers and flights will help the airport and airport staff do their jobs more efficiently.

Some passengers expressed concern about the potential impact of the new policy.

Serena Niu, a student at York University, fears limiting the frequency of flights will increase ticket prices. As an international student who plans to return home every year during the summer holidays, she believes the reduction in flights is not good news.

Niu says that the reduction in flights will reduce the number of people using the airport’s services. “This may reduce the revenue in the store or restaurant in the airport,” she said in a Zoom interview.

Ambarish Chandra, an associate professor of Economic Analysis and Policy with the University of Toronto, predicts the move will not affect many passengers.

“My guess is still most passengers will be unaffected, but some will be inconvenienced by having a change in schedule,” he said via Zoom.

New York City also limits the number of flights that can take off and land due to heavy traffic. It’s not a “crazy idea” to try it at Pearson, he said.

Chandra said that the airport should have made its announcement much earlier so people could adjust their plans. The change was publicized just a few weeks ahead of most Toronto students’ March Break.

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Posted: Mar 6 2023 4:30 pm
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