Canada has always been a trading nation. But the commodities we trade in are changing dramatically as the global marketplace evolves and our own economy matures. In the past, we exported resources like ore, grain and lumber by ship, and finished products such as vehicles and machinery by rail. While such exports continue to be important, today a growing number of Canadian enterprises earn their revenue from the exchange of knowledge and services. And this is where air connectivity plays a crucial role.
Canadian expertise in diverse fields – from engineering and investment banking to artificial intelligence and biotech – requires fast, convenient connections to support interactions with clients, partners and investors worldwide. At the same time, professionals from overseas must be able to reach Canada easily, whether they’re flying here to complete a deal or commuting regularly as part of an ongoing collaboration.
Joining the businesspeople, entrepreneurs and investors who arrive through our airport are millions of tourists who look forward to exploring our region and the rest of Canada. Even the tens of thousands of foreign students who attend Canadian colleges and universities represent, in effect, another source of export income within the booming global knowledge economy.
Toronto Pearson has grown steadily to support this growth. With regularly scheduled, non-stop flights to 175 international destinations, we provide direct access to more than 70 per cent of the world’s economy. We’ve added valuable connections as Canada has expanded existing trade alliances and forged new ones. And as more and more Canadian companies see that their future growth lies beyond our borders, we’re constantly looking to add new routes. As Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says elsewhere in this report, Toronto Pearson is “an enabler for us to attract investment from abroad, and for Canadian businesses to be able to compete and succeed in a dramatically globalizing world economy.”
Strategically positioned
Pearson is ideally located not only to serve the most populous part of the country, but to be a continental gateway; at about 44ºN, we’re actually south of many of our airlines’ U.S. destinations. We provide an efficient point of access to the dynamic Northeast economic mega zone straddling the Canada-U.S. border. For up to 200 million people living within two hours’ flying time, we’re the most convenient hub for reaching key economies on five continents. That’s why we continue to be North America's second busiest airport in terms of international traffic: of the 2.4 million additional passengers who travelled through Toronto Pearson last year, 2.1 million were flying to and from international destinations.
All of this connectivity translates into employment and economic growth in our region. At the same time, our airport is strategically situated to provide an efficient hub for ground transportation. Over the past year, we continued to work with Metrolinx and all levels of governments on our plan for an integrated Regional Transit and Passenger Centre linking rail and bus networks across the western GTHA and much of Southern Ontario. The same rising demand that has spurred the growth of Toronto Pearson is driving pressure for better transit connections to the Airport Employment Zone, along with the congested Northern Arc corridor that spans communities like Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham.
The creation of “Union Station West,” as many are calling the proposed transit centre, is long overdue; Toronto is the only major city of its size with a single ground transportation hub – Union Station. In taking a leadership role on this project, we recognize the advantages it will offer for people travelling to and from Toronto Pearson. But that’s not the real driver. Our region needs better transit solutions for the same reason it needs a globally connected airport: to continue thriving economically and ensure even greater prosperity in the future.
In April 2019, Premier Ford of Ontario unveiled his government’s ambitious transit vision, explaining that the province is “investing in transportation to bring relief and new opportunities to transit users and commuters." As experts in connectivity, including the day-to-day challenges of getting people smoothly from A to B, the GTAA is committed to help move this initiative forward and make a tangible contribution to its success.
Consistent, reliable flow
As we strengthen Toronto Pearson’s regional, national and global connections, we’re equally focused on enhancing our own services and infrastructure. These efforts are having an impact on passengers, who voted Toronto Pearson #1 in North America for the second straight year in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) satisfaction survey conducted by Airports Council International. Our ASQ score of 4.45 is the highest not only on this continent, but also among hubs in Africa, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean serving more than 40 million passengers annually.
Over the next five years, we’ll continue investing in new systems and processes across Toronto Pearson. Many aspects of that work are detailed in this annual report. As always, our goal is to give passengers and carriers what they value most: consistent, reliable flow in an environment that balances comfort and efficiency with safety and security.
This push to optimize flow extends beyond the footprint of our airport. It’s what we’re trying to achieve on a global scale as we collaborate with airlines to develop new routes, smooth connections for international passengers and coordinate regional air traffic with other members of the Southern Ontario Airport Network. The same motive drives our commitment to improve ground transportation. We want to ensure the best possible experience for passengers travelling between Pearson and their homes, offices and hotels. And more generally, we want to facilitate the movement of people and goods across the region as our airport helps to create – in the words of Rana Sarkar, Canada’s Consul General in San Francisco and Silicon Valley – “the prosperity engine for the 21st century.” These are the dimensions of impact and responsibility that have led to Toronto Pearson being ranked among the world’s mega hub airports.
In all of our efforts, we benefit from the strategic insights of a strong Board of Directors led by Chairman David Wilson (who shares the Board’s perspective in his annual report message). And as we work each day to put strategy into action, we’re supported by the GTAA’s 1,800 dedicated employees and a broader community of nearly 50,000 people who work together in all areas of the airport. Thanks to their energy and talent, millions of passengers from across Canada and around the world can count on Toronto Pearson – today and tomorrow.
![Signature of Howard Eng]()
Howard Eng
President and Chief Executive Officer
