A three-year upgrade of the terminal at Billy Bishop Airport in downtown Toronto is complete and it’s now better able to handle its own success. PortsToronto said in a news release that passenger traffic has almost doubled to 2.8 million a year in the last eight years and those passengers now have a modern and more efficient experience. “It also helps us with capacity planning, and gives us more opportunities – with more gates, we can have more aircraft parking,” said Neil Pakey, CEO of Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners GP, which owns and operates the passenger terminal at Billy Bishop Airport. “We hope that will have a positive bearing on our future here.”
The terminal now has 11 gates with bridges for the Q400 aircraft that dominate traffic at the jet-free facility. The sprucing up of the terminal was the last phase of the $35 million project after the nuts and bolts of runways, lighting and good neighbour projects like the start and run-up enclosure for departing aircraft were done. The project was finished two months early and reviews are positive. “Whether you’re inside or outside the building, it’s one of the most state-of-the-art facilities,” he said.