Airport Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

255 Toronto Pearson Airport Statistics for 2026

Toronto Pearson International Airport handled 47.3 million passengers in 2025 on the count of its operator, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), 1.1% more than in 2024 but still below the 50.5 million of 2019. It is one of Air Canada's three hubs, and Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) calls it Canada's most traveled airport.

This page brings together the main figures on Toronto Pearson (YYZ): passengers each year and in 2026, the busiest months, domestic, US and other international traffic, connecting passengers, airlines and routes, flights, cargo, rankings, queues and punctuality, the size of the airport, the train link, jobs, the GTAA's finances, expansion plans, noise and emissions. Every number links to the body that published it, with the date.

Pearson figures depend on who counts. The GTAA counts arriving and departing passengers from airline reports. Statistics Canada counts passengers enplaned and deplaned from carriers' reports, a separate and lower measure, and also publishes passengers screened at security. ACI uses totals submitted by airports for its rankings. Flights are counted by the GTAA, by Statistics Canada from NAV CANADA tower data and by ACI, and cargo by Statistics Canada and ACI on different bases. Each figure here says whose it is and what it measures.

Headline figures

  • 47.3 million passengers travelled through Toronto Pearson in 2025, up 1.1% on 2024, on the GTAA's count of arriving and departing passengers. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • 23.5 million passengers used Toronto Pearson in the first half of 2026, 3.5% more than a year earlier, on the GTAA's unaudited interim figures. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • ACI ranked Toronto Pearson 49th in the world and 15th in North America for passengers in 2025. (ACI (2025 North American traffic summary), Jul 2026)
  • Passengers between Pearson and the United States fell to 11,475,159 in 2025 from 12,558,556 in 2024, on Statistics Canada's count of passengers enplaned and deplaned. (Statistics Canada (air passenger table), Jul 2026)
  • Toronto Pearson had 392,500 aircraft movements (landings and take-offs) in 2025, on the GTAA's count. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • 482,483.9 tonnes of cargo were loaded and unloaded at Pearson in 2025, on Statistics Canada's count from carrier reports. (Statistics Canada (air cargo table), Jul 2026)
  • 5.9 million passengers changed planes at Pearson in the first half of 2026, up 13.5%, the GTAA says. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • The GTAA took in CAD 2,084.8 million in revenue in 2025, up 5.5% on 2024. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The Airport Improvement Fee rose to CAD 40 per departing passenger and CAD 10 per connecting passenger on 1 January 2026. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • 52,000 people work on site at Toronto Pearson, the GTAA told a Toronto city council committee in June 2025. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2025), Jun 2025)
  • Toronto Pearson served 201 direct destinations in 2025, two more than in 2024, the GTAA says. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The GTAA expects Toronto Pearson to handle 65 million passengers a year by the early 2030s, a forecast reported in a Deloitte summary for the authority. (Deloitte for GTAA (economic zone summary), Oct 2025)
  • Noise complaints about Toronto Pearson were 308.9% higher in 2025 than in 2024, while the number of people complaining fell 4.4%. (GTAA (noise report 2025), 2026)

How many passengers use Toronto Pearson each year?

Toronto Pearson has grown every year since 2021, but it has not yet returned to its 2019 level. Traffic fell by almost three quarters in 2020 and slipped again in 2021 before a fast recovery in 2022 and 2023.

44.3m 2016 47.1m 2017 49.5m 2018 50.5m 2019 13.3m 2020 12.7m 2021 35.6m 2022 44.8m 2023 46.8m 2024 47.3m 2025
View data table
Passengers at Toronto Pearson each year, in millions, on the GTAA's count of arriving and departing passengers. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
201644.3m
201747.1m
201849.5m
201950.5m
202013.3m
202112.7m
202235.6m
202344.8m
202446.8m
202547.3m
Passengers at Toronto Pearson each year, in millions, on the GTAA's count of arriving and departing passengers. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The GTAA counted 44.3 million passengers at Toronto Pearson in 2016, 47.1 million in 2017 and 49.5 million in 2018. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • Passengers fell 73.6% in 2020 to 13.3 million. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • From March to December 2020 the airport averaged 13,000 passengers a day, against 141,000 a year earlier; daily flights fell from 1,191 to about 253, and the number of airlines operating fell from 67 to 45. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • In the fourth quarter of 2020 the daily average was 17,000 passengers, against 129,000 in the same quarter of 2019, and about 288 flights a day, against 1,117. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • Passengers fell again in 2021, to 12.7 million. (GTAA (2021 annual MD&A), Mar 2022)
  • The 2021 total was 74.9% below 2019. At the end of 2021, 60 air carriers flew from Pearson to 86 international and 32 domestic destinations. (GTAA (Annual Report 2021), 2022)
  • Traffic recovered to 35.6 million passengers in 2022 and 44.8 million in 2023. (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)
  • That put 2023 at 88.9% of 2019's passenger activity, and December 2023 at 93.7% of December 2019. (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)
  • Toronto Pearson handled 46.8 million passengers in 2024. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)

The GTAA counts all arriving and departing passengers, including those changing planes, based on airline reporting, and its annual MD&As give final, audited-year figures. Statistics Canada and ACI count on their own rules and appear in their own sections, not in this series.

How busy is Toronto Pearson in 2026?

Toronto Pearson is growing faster in 2026 than in 2025, and domestic traffic is growing much faster than international. The number of passengers changing planes is rising much faster than the number starting or ending their trip there.

10.7m Q1 2025 12.0m Q2 2025 13.1m Q3 2025 11.1m Q1 2026 12.4m Q2 2026
View data table
Passengers at Toronto Pearson each quarter, in millions, on the GTAA's interim figures. The fourth quarter of 2025 is not shown. Each quarter comes from the report for that quarter; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
Q1 202510.7m
Q2 202512.0m
Q3 202513.1m
Q1 202611.1m
Q2 202612.4m
Passengers at Toronto Pearson each quarter, in millions, on the GTAA's interim figures. The fourth quarter of 2025 is not shown. Each quarter comes from the report for that quarter; the link is to the latest one. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • In the first quarter of 2026 Toronto Pearson handled 11.1 million passengers, up 4.2%: 3.6 million domestic, up 8.6%, and 7.5 million international, up 2.1%. (GTAA (Q1 2026 MD&A), May 2026)
  • First-quarter aircraft movements rose 1.6% to 92,800, and the load factor was 82.6%, against 80.4% a year earlier. (GTAA (Q1 2026 MD&A), May 2026)
  • 50 passenger airlines operated in the first quarter of 2026, down from 51 a year earlier, serving 182 direct destinations. 8.5 million passengers began or ended their trip at Pearson and 2.6 million connected, up 8.3%. (GTAA (Q1 2026 MD&A), May 2026)
  • Second-quarter passengers rose 3.3% to 12.4 million. In the first half, domestic passengers rose 7.4% to 8.3 million and international passengers 1.5% to 15.2 million. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • There were 194,000 aircraft movements in the first half of 2026, up 1.6%: 172,100 passenger aircraft movements and 21,900 non-passenger movements, mainly cargo and business aviation, up 6.3%. Airlines offered 28.2 million seats, and the load factor was 83.4%. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • 54 passenger airlines operated in the first half of 2026, up from 53 a year earlier; Finnair, Air Serbia and Iberia were new. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • Pearson served 204 direct destinations in the first half, 12 more than a year earlier, with new routes to Budapest, Helsinki, Belgrade, Tirana and Cardiff. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • In the third quarter of 2025 Toronto Pearson handled 13.1 million passengers, up 2.3% (5.2 million domestic, up 8.3%, and 7.9 million international, down 1.3%), and 104,600 aircraft movements, up 2.5%. (GTAA (Q3 2025 MD&A), Nov 2025)
  • Passengers in the first nine months of 2025 totalled 35.8 million, up 0.7%. (GTAA (Q3 2025 MD&A), Nov 2025)

Quarterly and half-year figures are the GTAA's unaudited interim counts, based on airline reporting. GTAA "international" includes flights to the United States. Figures after June 2026 were not checked at source for this page.

Which are the busiest months at Toronto Pearson?

Summer is the peak at Toronto Pearson, with July and August well ahead of the rest of the year on Statistics Canada's screening data, and February is the quietest month. Every month of 2026 so far has had more screened passengers than the same month of 2025.

1.65m Jan 1.53m Feb 1.70m Mar 1.68m Apr 1.74m May 1.82m Jun 2.02m Jul 2.17m Aug 1.82m Sep
View data table
Passengers screened at Toronto Pearson each month in 2026, in millions, from Statistics Canada's table of CATSA screening data.
PeriodValue
Jan1.65m
Feb1.53m
Mar1.70m
Apr1.68m
May1.74m
Jun1.82m
Jul2.02m
Aug2.17m
Sep1.82m
Passengers screened at Toronto Pearson each month in 2026, in millions, from Statistics Canada's table of CATSA screening data. (Statistics Canada (screened passengers table), Sep 2026)

Screened passengers are those passing pre-board security screening, mostly departing passengers; connecting passengers who are not screened again are left out. This is a different measure from the GTAA's arriving and departing total and is not compared with it. Monthly values may be revised.

Where are Toronto Pearson passengers flying?

Most Toronto Pearson passengers are flying to or from somewhere outside Canada, on the GTAA's count. Domestic traffic grew in 2025 while international traffic, which includes the United States, slipped.

  • International 30.1m
  • Domestic 17.2m
Passengers at Toronto Pearson in 2025 by type of flight, in millions, on the GTAA's count. International includes flights to the United States. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The GTAA counted 17.2 million domestic passengers in 2025, up 4.6%, and 30.1 million international passengers, down 0.8%. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • In 2024 the split was 16.4 million domestic and 30.4 million international; in 2023 it was 16.5 million and 28.3 million. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • In 2016 the GTAA counted 16.9 million domestic and 27.4 million international passengers; in 2017, 17.5 million and 29.6 million; and in 2018, 17.8 million and 31.7 million. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • In 2019 there were 18.1 million domestic and 32.4 million international passengers; in 2020, 5.5 million and 7.8 million. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • In 2021 domestic passengers, at 6.8 million, outnumbered international passengers. (GTAA (2021 annual MD&A), Mar 2022)
  • Domestic traffic rose to 14.3 million and international traffic to 21.3 million in 2022. (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)

The GTAA defines international passengers as those travelling to and from destinations outside Canada, so US transborder traffic is inside its international figure. Statistics Canada's separate US split is in the section on US travel.

How many passengers change planes at Toronto Pearson?

  • 36.9 million origin-and-destination passengers used Pearson in 2025, 78.0% of the total and up 1.4%; 10.4 million connected between flights, 22.0% of the total and level with 2024. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • Connecting passengers made up 22.3% of the total in 2024 and 23.1% in 2023. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • In 2016 there were 30.6 million origin-and-destination and 13.7 million connecting passengers; in 2017, 33.2 million and 13.9 million; and in 2018, 35.0 million and 14.5 million. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • In 2019 Pearson had 35.2 million origin-and-destination and 15.3 million connecting passengers; in 2020 they fell to 9.3 million and 4.0 million. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • There were 3.4 million connecting passengers in 2021; in 2022 there were 26.3 million origin-and-destination passengers. (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)
  • Connecting passengers rose 14.3% to 3.2 million in the second quarter of 2026 and made up 25.0% of first-half passengers, against 22.7% a year earlier; origin-and-destination passengers rose 0.6% to 17.6 million in the half. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • The Canada Border Services Agency said in June 2026 that its international-to-international transit option, which lets eligible passengers connecting between two international flights skip Canadian customs, is available at Pearson's Terminal 1 if the onward flight leaves within 24 hours. (CBSA (international transit, Jun 2026), Jun 2026)

Origin-and-destination passengers start or end their trip at Pearson; connecting passengers change aircraft there. Both are GTAA counts based on airline reporting.

How many passengers does Statistics Canada count at Pearson?

Statistics Canada keeps its own passenger count for Pearson, built from carriers' reports of passengers boarding and leaving aircraft, and it is a separate measure from the GTAA's. Statistics Canada calls Pearson "Canada's largest airport", and its 2025 growth on this count was small.

  1. 1 Toronto Pearson 46.00m
  2. 2 Vancouver 26.01m
  3. 3 Montréal-Trudeau 21.53m
  4. 4 Calgary 18.80m
Passengers enplaned and deplaned at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Montréal-Trudeau and Calgary in 2025, in millions, from Statistics Canada's annual table. (Statistics Canada (air passenger table), Jul 2026)

Statistics Canada counts passengers enplaned and deplaned from carriers' reports. Table values are the current vintage and may be revised; growth rates in The Daily are as first published. This measure is not compared with the GTAA's or ACI's totals.

How has US travel through Pearson changed?

Travel between Pearson and the United States fell in 2025 and remains below 2019 on Statistics Canada's figures. Flights to and from the US fell year on year in each of the nine months reported here between July 2025 and April 2026, and screened passengers for US flights began to grow again in the summer of 2026.

10.75m 2015 11.58m 2016 12.62m 2017 13.46m 2018 13.62m 2019 3.00m 2020 2.24m 2021 8.90m 2022 11.64m 2023 12.56m 2024 11.48m 2025
View data table
Transborder (US) passengers enplaned and deplaned at Pearson each year, in millions, from Statistics Canada's annual table.
PeriodValue
201510.75m
201611.58m
201712.62m
201813.46m
201913.62m
20203.00m
20212.24m
20228.90m
202311.64m
202412.56m
202511.48m
Transborder (US) passengers enplaned and deplaned at Pearson each year, in millions, from Statistics Canada's annual table. (Statistics Canada (air passenger table), Jul 2026)

Statistics Canada splits Pearson traffic into domestic, transborder (United States) and other international sectors; the GTAA does not publish a separate US figure. Passengers enplaned and deplaned, passengers screened and aircraft movements are three different measures and are not compared.

How many passengers are screened for US flights?

Screened passengers come from CATSA's boarding pass data and count people passing pre-board screening, sorted by the sector of their flight.

How many flights go between Pearson and the United States?

Itinerant movements are flights arriving from or leaving for another airport, from NAV CANADA tower data compiled by Statistics Canada. The monthly percentage changes are as first published in The Daily and the table may since have been revised. The October 2025 passenger figure covers Canada's Level I carriers nationally, not Pearson alone.

Which airlines fly from Toronto Pearson, and where to?

Toronto Pearson is one of Air Canada's three hubs and the base of its cargo network, and WestJet keeps adding sun and transatlantic routes there. Several foreign airlines have started flying to Pearson since 2025.

  1. 1 Cancún 36
  2. 2 Varadero 11
  3. 3 Nassau 9
  4. 4 Kelowna 5
WestJet flights a week from Toronto at the winter 2025/26 peak on four routes, from the airline's schedule release. (WestJet (winter 2025/26 schedule), Jul 2025)
  • Virgin Atlantic and Air China began flying to Toronto Pearson in 2025, while Sunwing, merged into WestJet, and Neos stopped, the GTAA says. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The GTAA's June 2026 update to Toronto council split 2025's destinations into 166 international and 35 domestic. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2026), Jun 2026)
  • Air Canada says its Toronto hub links to over 150 destinations; it has three Maple Leaf Lounges at Pearson, and its new Boeing 787-10s will be based first in Toronto. (Air Canada (Toronto hub release, Sep 2025), Sep 2025)
  • For summer 2026 Air Canada brought back non-stop Toronto flights to Shanghai and Budapest and raised Prague to 4 weekly flights. (Air Canada (Toronto hub release, Sep 2025), Sep 2025)
  • For summer 2027 Air Canada plans four new routes from Toronto: Oslo (4 weekly), Shannon (3), Nice (2) and Guatemala City (1), plus daily Shanghai flights and a fifth daily London Heathrow flight. (Air Canada (summer 2027 release), Sep 2026)
  • Air Canada carried about 45.3 million passengers across its whole network in 2025 and operated more than 372,000 flights; Toronto is one of its three hubs, with Montréal and Vancouver. (Air Canada (2025 Annual Information Form), Mar 2026)
  • New Air Canada routes from Toronto in 2025 included Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Cartagena, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadalajara and Puerto Escondido. (Air Canada (2025 Annual Information Form), Mar 2026)
  • Air Canada and its subsidiaries employed over 40,000 people at the end of 2025 and operated over 500 daily scheduled flights to 50 Canadian stations. (Air Canada (2025 Annual Information Form), Mar 2026)
  • For summer 2026 WestJet added Medellín (4 weekly from 28 April, its first non-stop route from Toronto to South America), Cardiff (4 weekly from 22 May) and Ponta Delgada (4 weekly from 12 June), and brought back Glasgow (4 weekly from 15 May). (WestJet (summer 2026 routes release), Nov 2025)
  • WestJet raised its winter 2025/26 capacity from Toronto Pearson by 5% and added Havana (2 weekly) and Samaná (1 weekly). (WestJet (winter 2025/26 schedule), Jul 2025)
  • At the winter peak WestJet flies Toronto-Cancún 36 times a week, up 38% on winter 2024, Varadero 11 times (up 38%), Nassau 9 times (up 13%) and Kelowna 5 times (up 67%). (WestJet (winter 2025/26 schedule), Jul 2025)

Route and frequency figures are the airlines' own schedules and may change; Medellín and Ponta Delgada were subject to government approval when announced. Air Canada's "over 150 destinations" is its own network figure, not the GTAA's count of direct destinations. GTAA documents give different airline counts for 2024 and 2025, so neither annual count is used here.

How many flights does Toronto Pearson handle?

Toronto Pearson has fewer flights than before the pandemic, but airlines are using bigger aircraft, so each flight carries more seats. Movements have grown every year since 2021 and remain below 2019.

456.4k 2016 465.4k 2017 472.7k 2018 452.8k 2019 174.4k 2020 173.0k 2021 336.8k 2022 379.6k 2023 389.6k 2024 392.5k 2025
View data table
Aircraft movements at Toronto Pearson each year, in thousands, on the GTAA's count of landings and take-offs. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
2016456.4k
2017465.4k
2018472.7k
2019452.8k
2020174.4k
2021173.0k
2022336.8k
2023379.6k
2024389.6k
2025392.5k
Aircraft movements at Toronto Pearson each year, in thousands, on the GTAA's count of landings and take-offs. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • Of 2025's aircraft movements, 348,300 were passenger aircraft movements and 44,200 non-passenger movements. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • There were 389,600 movements in 2024 (345,900 passenger and 43,700 non-passenger) and 379,600 in 2023 (337,300 and 42,300). (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The GTAA counted 456.4 thousand aircraft movements in 2016 and 465.4 thousand in 2017; passenger aircraft movements were 419,200 in 2016, 427,800 in 2017 and 435,500 in 2018. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • Movements were 472.7 thousand in 2018 and 452.8 thousand in 2019, and fell to 174.4 thousand in 2020. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • There were 173.0 thousand movements in 2021. (GTAA (2021 annual MD&A), Mar 2022)
  • Movements rose to 336.8 thousand in 2022. In 2023 passenger aircraft movements rose 15.3%, and non-passenger movements fell 4.5%, mainly because of reduced cargo activity, the GTAA said. (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)
  • Airlines offered 57.0 million seats at Pearson in 2025 (55.9 million in 2024 and 53.1 million in 2023), with 163.6 seats per passenger aircraft movement (161.6 in 2024) and a load factor of 82.9% (83.7% in 2024 and 84.4% in 2023). (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • Seats per passenger aircraft movement were 129.2 in 2016, 133.3 in 2017 and 136.3 in 2018. Airlines offered 54.2 million seats in 2016 and 59.3 million in 2018, with load factors of 81.8% in 2016, 82.6% in 2017 and 83.4% in 2018. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • In 2019 airlines offered 60.0 million seats with a load factor of 84.3%; in 2020, 21.9 million seats and 60.7%. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • In 2021 there were 20.0 million seats and a load factor of 63.3%. (GTAA (2021 annual MD&A), Mar 2022)
  • In 2022 there were 44.9 million seats and a load factor of 79.3%; in 2023 the load factor recovered to 100.1% of its 2019 level. (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)
  • The maximum take-off weight of aircraft using Pearson totalled 37.1 million tonnes in 2025, up 2.6% (36.2 million in 2024 and 34.4 million in 2023), as airlines used larger aircraft. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)

The GTAA counts arriving and departing flights. Its 2018 MD&A printed 473.0 thousand movements for 2018; this page uses the 472.7 thousand of the later 2020 MD&A. Statistics Canada's counts below and ACI's total in the rankings section use other rules and are not compared with the GTAA's.

What do Statistics Canada's flight counts show?

Statistics Canada's monthly movements are NAV CANADA tower counts of itinerant and local movements; July 2025 is given once, from the StatsCAN Plus article. Its passenger flights come from carrier reports. Both differ in scope from the GTAA's movements and are not added to or compared with them.

How much cargo goes through Toronto Pearson?

Cargo at Pearson rose in 2025 on both Statistics Canada's and ACI's counts and is above its 2019 level. Most of it is international, and far more is unloaded than loaded.

  • Other international 287.7k t
  • Transborder (US) 104.7k t
  • Domestic 90.1k t
Cargo loaded and unloaded at Pearson in 2025 by sector, in thousand tonnes, from Statistics Canada's annual table. (Statistics Canada (air cargo table), Jul 2026)

Statistics Canada counts cargo loaded and unloaded in metric tonnes from carriers' reports. ACI's figure is reported by the airport and includes mail. The two are different measures and are not compared. The GTAA's claim of a share of Canada's air cargo is not used because it gives no basis.

How does Toronto Pearson rank among airports?

ACI-NA calls Toronto Pearson Canada's most traveled airport, and it sits inside the world's top 50 for passengers. Its world rank is lower than in 2023.

  1. 1 Toronto Pearson 47.25m
  2. 2 Vancouver 26.91m
  3. 3 Montréal-Trudeau 22.36m
  4. 4 Calgary 19.41m
Passengers at the four Canadian airports in ACI's 2025 North American top 50, in millions, on ACI's count. (ACI (2025 North American traffic summary), Jul 2026)
  • ACI-NA said Toronto Pearson was "once again Canada's most traveled airport" in 2025, with 47.2 million passengers, up 1.0% on 2024. (ACI-NA (2025 traffic rankings release), Jul 2026)
  • ACI's data file gives Pearson 47,249,215 passengers in 2025, up 1.02%: 30,119,333 international, down 0.92%, and 17,129,882 domestic, up 4.62%. (ACI (2025 North American traffic summary), Jul 2026)
  • ACI counted 393,294 aircraft movements at Pearson in 2025, up 0.76%: 345,910 passenger and combi, 11,222 all-cargo (up 5.0%) and 36,162 general aviation, military and other. That ranked it 34th in the world and 18th in North America. (ACI (2025 North American traffic summary), Jul 2026)
  • Among other Canadian airports in ACI's 2025 North American top 50, Vancouver had 26,913,561 passengers (25th), Montréal-Trudeau 22,364,685 (31st) and Calgary 19,409,550 (34th). (ACI (2025 North American traffic summary), Jul 2026)
  • For cargo, Vancouver had 364,742 tonnes (22nd in North America), Calgary 187,712 tonnes (33rd) and Montréal-Trudeau 170,051 tonnes (34th). (ACI (2025 North American traffic summary), Jul 2026)
  • In 2023 ACI ranked Pearson 40th in the world and 16th in North America, with 44,761,805 passengers: 28,259,178 international and 16,502,627 domestic. (ACI (2023 North American traffic summary), Jul 2024)
  • ACI's 2023 tables put Pearson's cargo at 491,204 tonnes (57th in the world, 17th in North America) and its movements at 380,328 (29th in the world, 17th in North America). (ACI (2023 North American traffic summary), Jul 2024)
  • In 2018 the GTAA described Pearson as "the second-largest international passenger airport in North America" by annual international passengers. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)

ACI totals are submitted by airports and its ranks are its own. ACI's "international" for Canadian airports includes flights to the United States. The GTAA's 2018 ranking claim is its own and dated.

How do passengers rate Toronto Pearson, and how long are the queues?

Passengers rate Toronto Pearson well: it shared ACI World's 2025 award for large North American airports at departures. Security usually moves quickly, while US preclearance takes the longest of the three checks the GTAA measures.

  1. 1 US preclearance (CBP) 13 min
  2. 2 Canadian customs (CBSA) 7 min
  3. 3 Security screening (CATSA) 3 min
Average wait at Toronto Pearson for each check, in minutes, as measured by the GTAA and reported in June 2025. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2025), Jun 2025)
  • Toronto Pearson was one of three winners, with Dallas Fort Worth and Orlando, of ACI World's 2025 Airport Service Quality award for the best airports at departures in North America with over 40 million passengers a year. (ACI World (2025 ASQ awards), Feb 2026)
  • ACI World surveyed nearly 707,000 passengers for its 2025 awards and recognised 100 airports with 195 awards. (ACI World (ASQ awards release, Feb 2026), Feb 2026)
  • The GTAA reported an ACI Airport Service Quality score of 4.45 for Pearson in 2018. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • 83% of people who had travelled through Pearson in the past 12 months were satisfied with their experience, up from 75-78% in 2023, in a survey for the GTAA. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2025), Jun 2025)
  • The GTAA put the average wait at Pearson at 3 minutes for security screening, meeting 99% of targets, 7 minutes for Canadian customs, meeting 93%, and 13 minutes for US customs preclearance, meeting 86%. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2025), Jun 2025)
  • CATSA screened 96.4% of passengers at Pearson within 15 minutes in July 2026, 93.0% in August and 98.1% in September. (CATSA (performance indicators), Oct 2026)
  • Across all airports CATSA's figures were 96.1% in July 2026, 95.0% in August and 97.0% in September. (CATSA (performance indicators), Oct 2026)
  • CATSA screened 2,051,520 people at Pearson in July 2026, 2,199,957 in August and 1,842,377 in September, 6,093,854 in the quarter; across all airports the figures were 6,704,487, 6,938,809 and 5,942,739, or 19,586,035. (CATSA (performance indicators), Oct 2026)
  • Across Canada CATSA screened 68.9 million passengers in 2024/25; 97% of passengers at Class 1 airports waited less than 15 minutes, and 93.4% at peak periods. (CATSA (2025 annual report), 2025)

The GTAA's waits are its own averages and the slide does not give the period; CATSA's measure is the share of passengers waiting under 15 minutes. CATSA's screened traffic includes airport staff and other non-passengers. The satisfaction survey was commissioned by the GTAA, which does not give its method.

How punctual is Toronto Pearson?

  • The GTAA says it raised departure on-time performance by seven percentage points in 2023 compared with 2022, and put Assaia Apron AI turnaround-tracking cameras at 100 gates. (GTAA (Annual Report 2023), 2024)
  • The GTAA reported an improvement of about 3.0% in on-time performance across its terminals in 2025, and a 53% fall in travel time from terminal curb to airport exit. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2026), Jun 2026)
  • 21,327 aircraft were de-iced at Pearson in 2025, which the GTAA called a new record. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2026), Jun 2026)
  • The GTAA estimates its performance-based Airline Partnership Agreement rebates at CAD 47.7 million for 2025, against CAD 40.8 million in 2024; the agreements' initial term ends on 31 December 2026. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)

These are the GTAA's own statements. It does not publish an on-time percentage for the airport in these documents, and no public body publishes one, so none is given here.

How big is Toronto Pearson?

Toronto Pearson is a five-runway airport on the western edge of Toronto, almost all of it inside Mississauga. Its main passenger terminals are Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, with Terminal 1 the larger.

  1. 1 05/23 3,389 m
  2. 2 15L/33R 3,368 m
  3. 3 06L/24R 2,956 m
  4. 4 15R/33L 2,770 m
  5. 5 06R/24L 2,743 m
Length of the five runways at Toronto Pearson, in metres, from the GTAA's 2017-2037 Master Plan. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • Toronto Pearson occupies 1,897 hectares (4,688 acres); 98% of the land is in the City of Mississauga and the rest in the City of Toronto. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • It has five runways: two north-south (15L/33R and 15R/33L) and three east-west (05/23, 06L/24R and 06R/24L), and the east-west runways carry about 95% of traffic. The airport operates 24 hours a day, all year. (GTAA (April 2026 public meeting), Apr 2026)
  • Runway 05/23 is 3,389 metres (11,120 ft) long, 15L/33R 3,368 metres (11,050 ft), 06L/24R 2,956 metres (9,697 ft), 15R/33L 2,770 metres (9,088 ft) and 06R/24L 2,743 metres (9,000 ft); the taxiways total 42 kilometres. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • Terminal 1 had 50 bridged gates, 22 commuter aircraft stands and about 346,000 square metres of floor space, with capacity for about 30 million passengers a year; it handled 28.7 million in 2016, about 40% domestic, 29% transborder and 31% international. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • Terminal 3 had about 178,000 square metres including Pier A, 36 bridged gates and nine commuter stands, with capacity for about 17 million passengers a year; it handled 15.7 million in 2016, 33% domestic, 25% transborder and 42% international. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • Counting the Infield Terminal's 11, the airport had 97 bridged gates and 31 commuter positions, and the two terminals a combined capacity of about 47 million passengers a year. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • The Infield Concourse project aims to refurbish six gates and add five more. (GTAA (Annual Report 2023), 2024)
  • The GTAA runs the airport under a ground lease with the Government of Canada dated 2 December 1996, which expires on 1 December 2076. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)

Terminal, gate and capacity figures are from the 2017 Master Plan and gate counts have changed since. Runway lengths are physical lengths; declared distances are shorter on some ends. A GTAA slide from April 2026 rounds the site area differently, so the Master Plan figure is used.

How do you get to Toronto Pearson by train?

  • The UP Express train has a scheduled journey time of 25 minutes between Union Station and Toronto Pearson, and began running on 6 June 2015; a train counts as on time if it arrives within five minutes of that. (Metrolinx (2024-25 annual report), 2025)
  • Metrolinx ran 56,000 UP Express train trips in 2024-25, and UP Express customer satisfaction was 92%, against a target of 91%. (Metrolinx (2024-25 annual report), 2025)
  • UP Express on-time performance was 97.6% on a 12-month moving average to December 2025, against a target of 97%, and customer satisfaction was 93% in the quarter. (Metrolinx (operations report, Feb 2026), Feb 2026)
  • The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will run 9.2 km with 7 stations from Mount Dennis to Renforth Drive; a potential further 4.7 km link with up to 3 more stations would reach the airport, for up to 13.9 km in all. Station excavation began in July 2026 and the second tunnelling contract was complete in August 2026. (Metrolinx (Eglinton West extension page), 2026)

UP Express is run by Metrolinx, Ontario's transit agency, whose fiscal year runs from April to March; it does not publish UP Express ridership alone in its annual report. The rail link from Renforth Drive to the airport is a potential extension, not a funded project.

How many jobs depend on Toronto Pearson?

Tens of thousands of people work at the airport itself, and studies commissioned by the GTAA put the wider effect in the hundreds of thousands of jobs. The wider figures cover a large business zone around the airport, not the airport alone.

  1. 1 Manufacturing 92,500
  2. 2 Transportation and warehousing 70,000
  3. 3 Wholesale trade 66,786
  4. 4 Construction 45,396
Jobs in the four industries Deloitte names as the biggest employers in the Pearson Economic Zone, from its summary for the GTAA. The zone covers parts of five municipalities around the airport. (Deloitte for GTAA (economic zone summary), Oct 2025)

On-site airport jobs (all employers), GTAA staff and jobs in the Pearson Economic Zone are three different things. The economic figures are the GTAA's and its consultants' estimates; the GTAA slide does not give the year or author of its 120,000-job study. ACI-NA's figure covers all Canadian airports and uses its own method.

How does the GTAA make its money?

Passengers pay a large share of the bill through the Airport Improvement Fee, and both the fee and airline charges went up in 2025 and 2026. Revenue and net income are now above their 2019 levels.

  • Airport Improvement Fees CAD 715.0m
  • Landing fees CAD 444.8m
  • Concessions and rentals CAD 347.8m
  • General terminal charges CAD 263.3m
  • Car parking and ground transport CAD 252.1m
  • Other CAD 61.8m
GTAA revenue in 2025 by source, in CAD million, from its annual MD&A. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • In 2025 the GTAA earned CAD 444.8 million from landing fees and CAD 263.3 million from general terminal charges, for aeronautical revenue of CAD 708.1 million, and CAD 715.0 million from Airport Improvement Fees. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • Commercial revenue was CAD 661.7 million: CAD 347.8 million from concessions and rentals, CAD 252.1 million from car parking and ground transportation and CAD 61.8 million from other sources. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • Net income was CAD 366.1 million in 2025, up 11.2% from CAD 329.2 million, and EBITDA was CAD 990.2 million, a margin of 47.5%. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • GTAA revenue was CAD 1,301.6 million in 2016, CAD 1,387.7 million in 2017 and CAD 1,471.7 million in 2018; Airport Improvement Fees brought in CAD 399.8 million, CAD 436.1 million and CAD 460.0 million. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • Revenue was CAD 1,521.3 million in 2019 and CAD 823.5 million in 2020; net income of CAD 113.7 million in 2018 and CAD 139.8 million in 2019 turned into a loss of CAD 383.4 million in 2020. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • Airport Improvement Fee revenue was CAD 448.1 million in 2019 and CAD 128.5 million in 2020. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • In 2021 revenue was CAD 826.8 million, Airport Improvement Fees CAD 147.3 million and the net loss CAD 350.4 million. (GTAA (2021 annual MD&A), Mar 2022)
  • Revenue was CAD 1,491.9 million in 2022 and CAD 1,887.1 million in 2023; net income was CAD 72.3 million and CAD 265.0 million, and Airport Improvement Fees CAD 413.0 million and CAD 615.0 million. (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)
  • Revenue was CAD 1,975.4 million in 2024, with CAD 672.8 million from Airport Improvement Fees. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The Airport Improvement Fee rose to CAD 37 per departing passenger and CAD 8 per connecting passenger on 1 January 2025; aeronautical fees rose 5% in 2025 and 5.1% in 2026. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • In 2018 the GTAA said it had not raised aeronautical fees charged to airlines since 2007, holding them constant or lowering them for 11 years in a row. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • Ground rent paid to the Government of Canada was CAD 236.1 million in 2025 (CAD 223.5 million in 2024), and payments in lieu of property taxes to Mississauga and Toronto were CAD 41.1 million. Salaries, wages and benefits rose 13.5% to CAD 296.9 million. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • In the third quarter of 2025 GTAA revenue was CAD 562.2 million. (GTAA (Q3 2025 MD&A), Nov 2025)
  • In the first quarter of 2026 revenue rose 7.2% to CAD 522.4 million, net income fell 39.5% to CAD 42.0 million and EBITDA was CAD 239.3 million. (GTAA (Q1 2026 MD&A), May 2026)
  • First-half 2026 revenue rose 8.0% to CAD 1,089.1 million, with CAD 566.6 million in the second quarter, up 8.8%; first-half net income fell 5.4% to CAD 169.5 million. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)

All figures are in Canadian dollars. Annual figures are from audited statements; quarterly and half-year figures are unaudited. EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure defined by the GTAA. Landing fees include apron fees.

How much debt does the GTAA carry?

  • At 31 December 2025 the GTAA's total debt was CAD 6,734.0 million and its net debt CAD 5,048.9 million; total debt per enplaned passenger was CAD 285, against CAD 301 a year earlier. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • Total debt was CAD 6,370.3 million at the end of 2018, CAD 6,411.7 million in 2019 and CAD 7,002.8 million in 2020; per enplaned passenger it rose from CAD 254 in 2019 to CAD 1,052 in 2020. (GTAA (2020 annual MD&A), Mar 2021)
  • Total debt was CAD 7,213.7 million at the end of 2021, or CAD 1,136 per enplaned passenger. (GTAA (2021 annual MD&A), Mar 2022)
  • It was CAD 6,802.4 million at the end of 2022 (CAD 382 per enplaned passenger) and CAD 6,983.3 million at the end of 2023 (CAD 312). (GTAA (2023 annual MD&A), Mar 2024)
  • Air carrier cost per enplaned passenger was CAD 29.9 in 2025, against CAD 28.5 in 2024 and CAD 30.3 in 2023. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • At the end of 2025 the GTAA was rated A+ (stable) by S&P, Aa3 (stable) by Moody's and A (high) by DBRS, with an R-1 (low) rating for its commercial paper. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • Total assets were CAD 7,301.4 million at the end of 2025; the GTAA had 423 days of cash on hand, and gross debt was 6.8 times EBITDA, against 7.5 times in 2024. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • At 30 June 2026 total debt was CAD 6,734.1 million, net debt CAD 4,868.7 million and net liquidity CAD 2,849.4 million; air carrier cost per enplaned passenger was CAD 32.1, against CAD 29.4 a year earlier. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)

The GTAA counts enplaned passengers as half of its total passengers. Net debt, net liquidity, cost per enplaned passenger and gross debt to EBITDA are non-GAAP measures defined by the GTAA. Credit ratings are as reported by the GTAA.

What is being built at Toronto Pearson?

The GTAA is spending more each year on Pearson LIFT, its programme of terminal, baggage and airfield works, and signed major contracts in 2026. One part of the plan, an interim terminal, has been dropped.

  1. 1 Accelerator CAD 108.0m
  2. 2 T1/T3 Revitalization CAD 26.4m
  3. 3 Gateway CAD 17.6m
  4. 4 HPIP CAD 17.4m
  5. 5 Technology CAD 6.7m
GTAA spending on the five Pearson LIFT programmes in 2025, in CAD million, from its annual MD&A. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The GTAA spent CAD 340.6 million on capital programmes in 2025, against CAD 324.3 million in 2024; CAD 176.1 million of the 2025 total went on Pearson LIFT. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The first baggage handling system contract under Pearson LIFT went to Vanderlande Industries Canada in the first quarter of 2026, and the Terminal 1 and 3 revitalisation began in the second quarter with contracts to NORR-DIALOG for design and PCL Construction for construction management. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • The GTAA wrote down CAD 45.1 million in the first half of 2026 for design and consulting work on an Interim Terminal under the Accelerator programme, which will not go ahead. (GTAA (Q2 2026 MD&A), Aug 2026)
  • In March 2022 Transport Canada said Pearson would receive more than CAD 142 million from its Airport Critical Infrastructure Program for airfield pavement, new check-in, boarding and border clearance systems, COVID-19 testing, and design work for a link to the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT extension. (Transport Canada (ACIP funding, Mar 2022), Mar 2022)
  • The GTAA had received CAD 108.1 million of that funding by 31 December 2025. (GTAA (2025 annual MD&A), Mar 2026)
  • The 2020-2024 airside pavement programme covered about 1.5 million square metres, with a budget of CAD 257 million and CAD 216.1 million spent by the end of 2023; about 340,000 square metres of runway 06R/24L were rebuilt in 2023. (GTAA (Annual Report 2023), 2024)

Capital spending is actual spend in Canadian dollars. The GTAA's published values for whole Pearson LIFT programmes were not checked at source and are not used. Transport Canada's figure is its announced contribution; the GTAA's is money received.

How many passengers will Toronto Pearson handle in future?

  • The GTAA's 2017-2037 Master Plan said the most likely outcome was about 85 million passengers in 2037, growth of 3.1% a year, within a range of 60 to 100 million, and projected 71 million passengers in 2030. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • Under the same "most likely" scenario, Pearson could handle 950,000 tonnes of cargo in 2037, the GTAA said in 2019. (GTAA (2018 annual report MD&A), Feb 2019)
  • The Master Plan projected 94 million passengers and close to one million tonnes of cargo at Southern Ontario's airports in 2037. (GTAA (Master Plan 2017-2037), 2017)
  • Oxford Economics estimated for the GTAA in 2026 that growing to its planned capacity by 2034 would add more than CAD 9 billion to Canada's GDP, for a total contribution of CAD 30 billion in 2026 dollars, raise direct employment at Pearson to about 68,000, and support 166,000 jobs across Canada, 36,000 of them new. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2026), Jun 2026)
  • On the same estimates, airport jobs held by Toronto residents would rise to 21,300 and the zone's contribution to Toronto's GDP to CAD 3.1 billion. (GTAA (Toronto council update, Jun 2026), Jun 2026)

All of these are forecasts. The Master Plan figures were made in 2017, before the pandemic; the Oxford Economics figures are marked "Estimates Only" on the GTAA slide. They are given with their dates and are not combined.

How much noise and pollution does Toronto Pearson cause?

Noise complaints have jumped, but a small number of people file most of them. Night flights stayed inside the government-approved limit in each of the last three noise years.

14,339 2021-22 17,453 2022-23 18,815 2023-24 17,290 2024-25
View data table
Aircraft movements in the restricted night hours at Toronto Pearson in each noise year (November to October), from the GTAA's noise reports. Each year comes from the report for that year; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
2021-2214,339
2022-2317,453
2023-2418,815
2024-2517,290
Aircraft movements in the restricted night hours at Toronto Pearson in each noise year (November to October), from the GTAA's noise reports. Each year comes from the report for that year; the link is to the latest one. (GTAA (noise report 2025), 2026)
  • There were 17,453 movements in the restricted night hours of 12:30 to 6:29 a.m. in the noise year to October 2023, 83.6% of the budget, and 14,339 in the year to October 2022. (GTAA (noise report 2023), 2024)
  • There were 18,815 night movements in the noise year from November 2023 to October 2024, against an annual budget of 20,889, or 90.07%. (GTAA (noise report 2024), 2025)
  • There were 17,290 night movements from November 2024 to October 2025, 82.8% of the budget. (GTAA (noise report 2025), 2026)
  • Complaints about arrivals rose 367.6% in 2025 and complaints about departures 53.3%. (GTAA (noise report 2025), 2026)
  • The GTAA opened 1,746 noise investigations in 2025: 112 under the night flight restriction programme and 1,634 under noise abatement procedures; 51 night-flight cases went to Transport Canada. (GTAA (noise report 2025), 2026)
  • In 2025, 94% of operations used the east-west runways, against 97% in 2024. (GTAA (noise report 2025), 2026)
  • Complaints in 2024 were 34.3% higher than in 2023, and the 10 most frequent complainants filed 69.7% of them, down from 76.8% in 2023. (GTAA (noise report 2024), 2025)
  • The GTAA opened 172 noise investigations in 2024, 166 for night flights and 6 for noise abatement procedures, and sent 42 to Transport Canada. (GTAA (noise report 2024), 2025)
  • Complaints in 2023 were 9.7% higher than in 2022, while the number of people complaining fell 15.3%; traffic was about 83.7% of its 2019 level. (GTAA (noise report 2023), 2024)
  • The GTAA has 25 permanent noise monitoring terminals around the airport. (GTAA (April 2026 public meeting), Apr 2026)

The night flight budget is set under a programme approved by Transport Canada. Complaint figures are percentage changes only, since the reports give the totals as charts. The jump in noise abatement investigations in 2025 is not explained in the GTAA report.

What are the GTAA's emissions?

  • The GTAA's Scope 1 emissions were 43,736 tonnes of CO2e in 2020, 65,177 in 2021, 65,831 in 2022 and 64,427 in 2023; Scope 2 emissions were 3,566, 3,057, 5,772 and 7,779 tonnes; and Scope 1 and 2 emissions per passenger were 3.85, 5.13, 1.96 and 1.37 kg. (GTAA (ESG Report 2023), 2024)
  • Toronto Pearson was one of six airports in the world accredited at Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4 "Transformation" in 2022 and kept it in 2023; it first reached Level 3 in 2016, and the GTAA targets net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050. (GTAA (ESG Report 2023), 2024)
  • GTAA sources emitted 30.65 tonnes of NOx in 2021, 43.90 in 2022 and 35.49 in 2023; SOx was 0.72, 1.28 and 1.07 tonnes and PM10 0.79, 1.6 and 1.002 tonnes. (GTAA (ESG Report 2023), 2024)
  • In 2022, 72% of GTAA operational waste was composted or recycled, with the rest sent to energy-from-waste, and over 99% of construction waste was recycled by weight. (GTAA (Sustainability Report 2022), 2023)
  • Water use was 1,042.5 megalitres in 2022: 706.4 at the airport, 98.6 at the cogeneration plant and 237.4 at nearby commercial properties. (GTAA (Sustainability Report 2022), 2023)
  • In 2021 water use was 761.05 megalitres (528.125 at the airport, 96.885 at the cogeneration plant and 136.064 for tenants), and 1,271.17 tonnes of waste went to energy recovery. (GTAA (Annual Report 2021), 2022)
  • The GTAA avoided 2,765 tonnes of carbon in 2022 by adding 1,800 LED lights and changing how it uses its cogeneration plant. (GTAA (Sustainability Report 2022), 2023)

These figures cover sources the GTAA controls, such as its buildings, vehicles, cogeneration plant and de-icing, not aircraft. 2021 and 2022 water figures use slightly different categories. A newer GTAA emissions figure could not be checked at source and is not used.

Glossary

YYZ
The IATA code for Toronto Pearson International Airport.
GTAA
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which runs Toronto Pearson under a ground lease from the Government of Canada.
ACI and ACI-NA
Airports Council International, the trade body for airport operators, and its North American branch, which publish traffic rankings and the Airport Service Quality awards.
Statistics Canada
Canada's national statistics office, which publishes passenger, cargo, screening and aircraft movement data for Canadian airports.
NAV CANADA
The private company that runs Canada's air navigation system. Its control towers count the aircraft movements that Statistics Canada publishes.
CATSA
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, which screens passengers and bags at Canadian airports.
CBSA
The Canada Border Services Agency, which runs Canadian customs and immigration checks.
US preclearance
US Customs and Border Protection checks done at Pearson before a flight leaves, so passengers arrive in the US as domestic travellers.
Airport Improvement Fee (AIF)
A fee charged on each departing or connecting passenger, collected by airlines and paid to the GTAA.
Origin-and-destination passengers
Passengers who start or end their trip at Pearson, as opposed to connecting passengers who change planes there.
Transborder
Flights between Canada and the United States. Statistics Canada counts them separately; the GTAA includes them in international.
Enplaned and deplaned
Passengers boarding and leaving aircraft, the basis of Statistics Canada's passenger count.
Itinerant movement
A flight arriving from or leaving for another airport, as opposed to a local training flight that stays near the airport.
Load factor
The share of seats filled with passengers.
MTOW
Maximum take-off weight, the heaviest weight at which an aircraft may take off.
IFR and VFR
Instrument flight rules and visual flight rules. Airline flights fly under IFR.
ASQ
Airport Service Quality, ACI's survey of passengers at departure gates and the awards based on it.
Pearson LIFT
The GTAA's programme of terminal, baggage, airfield and technology projects.
Pearson Economic Zone
The business area around the airport, covering parts of five municipalities, used in GTAA-commissioned economic studies.
UP Express
The Union Pearson Express train between Union Station in downtown Toronto and the airport, run by Metrolinx.
Scope 1 and Scope 2
Greenhouse gas emissions from sources an organisation controls directly (Scope 1) and from the energy it buys (Scope 2).
EBITDA
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, a non-GAAP measure of operating profit.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from the GTAA's annual and interim MD&As from 2018 to 2026, its annual, ESG and sustainability reports, Master Plan, noise reports and presentations, Statistics Canada's tables and releases, ACI and ACI-NA, CATSA, Metrolinx, Transport Canada, the CBSA, US Customs and Border Protection, Deloitte and Oxford Economics studies for the GTAA, Air Canada and WestJet. Each figure links to the body that produced it, with the date. The GTAA's count of arriving and departing passengers is the main series; Statistics Canada's passengers enplaned and deplaned, its screened passengers and ACI's ranking totals are separate measures, given only with their own labels and never charted or compared with the GTAA's. Flight counts from the GTAA, Statistics Canada and ACI are kept apart, as are Statistics Canada's and ACI's cargo. Money is in Canadian dollars as published. Forecasts and plans are labelled with who made them and when, and figures the GTAA states about itself, such as punctuality gains, are given as its own. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.