The number of flights arriving and departing Toronto's Pearson International Airport is set to be limited during peak times to try and avoid delays from occurring.
In a statement, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) said there were a number of measures to be taken "These include hard limits on the number of commercial flights that can arrive or depart in any given hour along with limits on business/general aviation flights. In addition, measures have been applied to cap the number of passengers that can arrive internationally, or depart to the United States through each terminal, in a given hour."
The airport said it would be working to 'flatten' daily travel peaks, "As opposed to limiting the total number of flights that Toronto Pearson can accommodate over a given period, this work has been predominantly focused on limiting flight activity during certain peak hours, thereby spreading demand out over the course of each day."
One of the leading airlines at the airport, Air Canada, issued the following statement Air Canada was first advised of the GTAA's plans in August 2022, and so it designed its 2023 winter schedule with these limitations taken into account and anticipates no significant changes to its schedule for the March Break travel period. It subsequently received information about GTAA's plans for summer 2023 and similarly designed this coming summer's schedule to meet those parameters.
It is Air Canada's policy to work with its industry partners to meet the requirements of airports and other third parties to drive operational improvements and support the smooth running of Canada's air transport system. This includes, as in this case, adapting its schedule as required to ensure operational stability, and is a normal process."