In June 2019, delegates to the Paris Air Show included members of two Canadian organizations making their first visit to the world’s largest aviation and aerospace exhibition: the Southern Ontario Airport Network (SOAN) and the Southern Ontario Municipal Aerospace Council (SOMAC). A team from the GTAA, which works closely with both groups, joined regional airport and municipal leaders as they showcased Southern Ontario’s strengths in aviation and aerospace with peers and industry representatives from around the globe. The impetus behind the Paris mission speaks to the future potential of SOAN and SOMAC, as members find new ways to support and learn from one another while working together to pursue opportunities beyond our region.
SOAN provides a forum to share information and resources, explore collective opportunities and develop a more cohesive approach to the evolution of air service across the region.
The idea for an alliance of regional airports was sparked by a 2015 discussion paper by the GTAA on the need for a coordinated response to demand for air travel across Southern Ontario. After two years of collaboration, SOAN was formally launched in 2017, bringing together Toronto Pearson with local airports serving Hamilton, Niagara, Windsor, downtown Toronto (Billy Bishop), London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Lake Simcoe, Oshawa, Peterborough and Kingston. With the addition of Sarnia the following year, the network now comprises 12 commercially significant airports. While all members continue to pursue their own strategies driven by local business factors and community needs, SOAN provides a forum to share information and resources, explore collective opportunities and develop a more cohesive approach to the evolution of air service across the region.
Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF).
Elevating the discussion
Soon after SOAN was formed, members began meeting with municipal leaders and officials to highlight the benefits of having local governments coordinate efforts to meet long-term demand while also creating new economic opportunities. These conversations helped to inspire the formation of SOMAC, which brings together mayors and regional chairs of communities represented by SOAN, as well as leaders from areas that have airport lands in reserve.
Launched in early 2019 with Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie as its inaugural chair, SOMAC is focused on growing Southern Ontario’s aviation and aerospace industries by working to attract new businesses and investment to the region, as well as advocating for policy initiatives that will strengthen the overall sector. Current members include Barrie, Durham Region, Hamilton, London, Mississauga, Niagara Falls, Niagara on the Lake, Niagara Region, Oshawa, Peel Region, Peterborough, Pickering, Sarnia, Simcoe County, Toronto, Waterloo Region and Windsor.
Members of the Southern Ontario Airport Network (SOAN).
partners
As Toronto Pearson works more closely with other SOAN airports, we’re finding opportunities to help our partners while sustainably repurposing assets we no longer require. In 2019, we held our first-ever equipment auction, featuring a trackless tractor that was due to be retired from the GTAA fleet. Three SOAN airports placed bids, and others expressed an interest in taking advantage of future auctions.
In another example of sharing across the network, when our colleagues at Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport told us they were looking for extra passenger seating for their terminal expansion, we offered them 40 chairs (valued at about $20,000) that Toronto Pearson had identified for paid disposal. The donation saved both airports money and diverted a significant amount of plastic from landfill.