Toronto (November 23, 2017) – Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Billy Bishop Airport) will update its Master Plan in January 2018 in order to provide a long-range vision for the airport, which in turn assists airport management and other stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding future development. Master Plans are customary for most airports and are usually updated every five years with a new Master Plan created every 10 years. The 2018 Master Plan for Billy Bishop Airport will be an update of the 2012 Master Plan.
 
The primary purpose of an Airport Master Plan is to establish an orderly development concept for the airport that establishes priorities and options for the airport’s operation and development over an extended period of time, while at the same time allowing the airport to avail itself of new opportunities to serve the needs of the community and operators. An Airport Master Plan is not a regulatory document, but rather a planning tool intended to deliver a strategy for the airport that provides a framework for future planning and development.
 
“The Airport Master Plan represents long-term planning for the future of our airport, neighbourhood and city,” said Gene Cabral, Executive Vice President, Billy Bishop Airport and PortsToronto. “Recommendations made within the Master Plan will establish long-term operational and business objectives for the airport, while accommodating short, mid- and long-term improvements. This process will also identify new opportunities to serve the needs of not just our operators, but also our community, our travellers and the environment.”
 
The planning process for the Billy Bishop Airport Master Plan will kick off in January 2018 with a robust public consultation process that will include airport stakeholders, operators, government agencies, neighbourhood community groups, first nations and the general public. Engagement with each of these groups will continue at key milestones throughout the planning process and the first of three public meetings will take place in early 2018, shortly after the project is initiated. The Master Plan is being completed in open consultation with the partners of the Tripartite Agreement, specifically the City of Toronto and Transport Canada. PortsToronto will provide regular project updates throughout the planning process on social media and on a dedicated project website that can be accessed at www.BillyBishopAirportMasterPlan2018.com. With work underway throughout 2018, the Master Plan will be released in early 2019.
 
About Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (https://www.portstoronto.com/airport.aspx)
Billy Bishop Airport is Canada's ninth-busiest airport and welcomed 2.7 million business and leisure travellers in 2016. The airport is also Canada’s sixth-busiest airport with passenger service into the United States. Offering service to more than 20 cities in Canada and the U.S., with connection opportunities to more than 80 international destinations via our airlines’ networks, Billy Bishop Airport is an important international gateway and a key driver to Toronto’s economy, accounting for more than $2.1 billion in economic output each year and supporting 6,500 jobs, including 1,960 directly associated with the airport operations. The airport has recently won a series of passenger-driven awards, including being named one of the top airports in North America in both the Airports Council International’s (ACI) 2015 Airport Service Quality Awards and Skytrax 2016 World Airport Awards and was ranked sixth Best International Airport by Condé Nast Traveler in 2017.
 
About PortsToronto (https://www.portstoronto.com)
For more than 100 years PortsToronto has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which welcomed more than 2.7 million passengers in 2016; the Outer Harbour Marina, one of Canada's largest freshwater marinas; and, Terminals 51 and 52, which provide transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port of Toronto. PortsToronto is committed to fostering strong, healthy and sustainable communities and has invested more than $9 million since 2009 in charitable initiatives and environmental programs that benefit communities along Toronto's waterfront and beyond. PortsToronto operates in accordance with the Canada Marine Act and is guided by a nine-member board with representation from all three levels of government.
   
Media Contact:
Jen Brailsford, Communications Officer
PortsToronto
Tel: (416) 863-2016
Cell: (647) 298-0585
E-mail: jbrailsford@portstoronto.com