Mississauga’s Toronto Pearson International Airport was formerly known as Malton Airport when it was built in 1937. The Toronto Harbour Commission was responsible for its original design, which was intended to serve as an alternative to the downtown Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
The Toronto Pearson International Airport has overtaken the more established Toronto Island Airport as the primary airport for the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe region over a period of time. Toronto Pearson International Airport, which opened in 1967, is now one of the busiest and finest international airports in Canada as well as the world.
It is situated 22.50 kilometres northwest of Downtown Toronto, with parts of the airport located in Mississauga. It currently has five runways, two passenger terminals, and a number of cargo and maintenance facilities.
Trans-Canada Air Lines was to begin operations in Greater Toronto in 1936, so the Canadian government built an airport to accommodate its operations. The Toronto City Council established an Airport Advisory Committee in November 1936, which investigated a variety of site options for building the airport. A number of proposals were put forward, and two were accepted. Two locations were chosen: Mississauga in northwest Toronto and Toronto Islands.
It was planned to build an airport on the mainland, as well as land seaplanes at the port on the islands, and to utilize Mississauga as an auxiliary airfield. Construction of the Mississauga area airport began in earnest in mid-1937 after agreements were made to purchase over 1,400 acres of agricultural land. Initially, there was only one terminal at the airport. Due to its secondary role, its numbers couldn’t have been expected to be as high as they are today.
It, however, has drawn the attention of passengers long before it opens and is soon outpacing the neighbouring Island Airport. As more flights and better administration were needed, a second airport terminal was built in 1938 followed by an administration building in 1943.
Toronto Pearson International Airport was overseen by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which was formed in 1996. In order to handle the number of passengers passing through the airport each day, the first thing it had to do was to update and rebuild the airport’s terminals.
The $4.4 billion reconstructions of Terminal 1 was completed in 1999, and the first passengers passed through it in 2002. As part of its expansion in 2005, the airport added a first-class lounge as well as a wide selection of shops, restaurants, and other services.
Since then, Toronto Pearson International Airport has evolved into the modern airport it is today, serving over 40 million passengers each and every year.
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