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Economic Development Strategy - Greater Toronto Airports Authority

Toronto Pearson Airport is Canada’s largest airport handling some 30 million passengers in 2006. Located in Canada’s industrial, financial and business services heartland it is a major contributor to the local economy. Pearson is undertaking Canada’s largest infrastructure programme that will enable the airport to handle an additional 20 million passengers per annum. Members of GD Economic staff were selected by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to prepare an economic development strategy for Pearson as an integral part of the expansion plans. The strategy required several key elements:

GTAA proposed actions needed to be harmonised with those being undertaken by surrounding municipalities to ensure benefits to both would be maximised;
An evaluation of how air services agreements affect the potential of Pearson to generate maximum benefits for Toronto and its surrounding region;
An evaluation of best practices in airport economic development strategies globally;
Stakeholder engagement with airlines, air cargo carriers and integrators, domestic and international air transport agencies, and local municipalities amongst others to establish economic development priorities for Pearson and secure stakeholder ‘lock-in’ to the strategy; and
Ensure any actions taken enhance the competitiveness of the airport.