Toronto Pearson Airport Reopens Renovated Runway & It Could Make Holiday Travel Easier

Ahead of what is likely to be the busiest holiday travel season since before the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto's Pearson Airport is hoping a revamped runway will make the passenger experience a bit better.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to announce the re-opening of Runway 06L/24R at Toronto Pearson International Airport, following an eight-month, $80 million rehabilitation project that was "one of the largest in Pearson’s history."

Pearson's second busiest runway was closed from April to November 2022, during which time the airport faced a long list of issues and was named the world airport in the world for cancellations and delays.

"The closure of the runway was well coordinated with all of our partners and did not contribute to the delays travellers experienced during the summer," a GTAA spokesperson told Narcity.

That coordination first began "over a year-and-a-half ago, to ensure safety and minimal disruption for passengers and nearby communities," according to a press release.

“As the busiest airport in Canada and one of the busiest in North America, the return of this runway at Pearson Airport will keep air passengers moving safely and smoothly in and out of the GTA," said Federal Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra. "As the air sector continues to move through post-pandemic recovery, investments like this one in our transportation infrastructure will help us ensure that we maintain a vibrant and competitive Canadian air sector.”

The GTAA said this runway was worn down by weather and use over time after it was first built in the 1960s and the project will extend its life by 30 years.

This comes at a time when Pearson Airport continues to work on repairing its reputation and improving the overall passenger experience looks to be a big part of that.

At the beginning of November, the YYZ Express feature was unveiled. This new online booking system allows passengers to reserve a spot in line at security up to 72 hours before their scheduled flight.

Back in October, the airport also said it was seeing "significant improvements" when it came to flight delays and cancellations.