This is an important meeting for anyone living on and enjoying the Toronto Waterfront to attend. PortsToronto will host the first of two public meetings at George Brown College – Waterfront Campus, as part of its work to implement the Runway End Safety Areas (RESAs) for Runway 08/26 at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
George Brown College – Waterfront Campus
51 Dockside Drive, Toronto ON M5A 1B6
(Queens Quay East just west of Lower Sherbourne)
Wednesday July 17, 2024,
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 17, 2024,
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Background
Transport Canada requires Canadian airports that service 325,000 passengers for two consecutive years to implement Runway End Safety Area (RESA) within three years. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will meet this threshold in June 2024. This will trigger the RESA requirement which will need to be met by 2027.
RESA is a cleared and graded area of land located immediately beyond the end of the runway. RESAs are located at both ends of runways and are designated areas of open space designed to be used in cases where aircraft overrun the end of a runway or undershoot and land prior to the runway for safety purposes.
Another solution is to make the stopping area on the existing runway length (EMAS) but this would require flying smaller planes or smaller loads on the Q400 planes as the runway would be shortened. However, no fill would then be required to be added into the lake.
Context
This is a public consultation meeting about the need for safety zones at both ends of the runway. A RESA would require filling into the lake and harbour, extending the airport’s “no-go” zones at either end, further limiting water access for boats, kayaks and other watercraft.
There’s an upcoming debate at City Hall. That debate has two important dates: June 30, 2033, when the City’s dollar-a-year lease ends, and, likely June of 2027, when the Runway End Safety Area requirement comes into force – requiring an investment of $50M to $130M to meet that requirement, according to Ports Toronto.
Is the Airport popular? It is losing business hand over foot to Pearson (The Island Airport’s number of passengers declined by 27% in 2023 from 2019, pre-COVID – Pearson dropped just 11% over the same period)? And Porter and Air Canada have drastically cut back their flights out of the Island Airport – from a peak of 202 daily landings and takeoffs to about 110, depending on the day.
Finally, a RESA means opening the Tripartite Agreement which allows the airport to exist. Now it ends in 2033. If it is opened to facilitate this change, PortsToronto will want a new agreement to run it for many more years to recoup their costs.
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