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Toronto (October 13, 2016) – After several months of consultation, PortsToronto, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, has approved plans submitted by Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners (Nieuport), owner and operator of the airport’s passenger terminal, to undertake upgrades and enhancements to the terminal at the airport. Preliminary plans and renderings have also been presented to key government agencies and stakeholders and can be referenced here.
 
The plans include increasing the terminal’s footprint to accommodate the airport’s growth since 2010, when the terminal was built, and to further enhance its world-class passenger experience. Specific improvements include reconfiguring offices and administrative areas to accommodate passenger processing needs in anticipation of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility at the airport as previously announced by Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama in March 2016. The enhancement project will also add more space in both passenger lounges, thereby enabling more seating and additional amenities such as retail, food and beverage services. Overall, the changes will add approximately 2,500 square metres to the terminal, with the majority of the increase being in the passenger lounges. Nieuport will also add an 11th gate to increase the terminal’s operational flexibility and efficiencies during peak travel periods and weather events.
 
“Billy Bishop Airport is an award-winning airport that has an international reputation for its convenience and customer experience,” said Geoffrey Wilson, CEO of PortsToronto, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Airport. “The improvements that are being proposed will take shape in the coming months, and are geared at better accommodating the 2.5 million passengers that travel through the airport each year, as well as further enhancing the world-class experience that is currently offered to passengers by adding more seating, retail and food services, and ultimately preclearance into the U.S.”
 
PortsToronto has worked closely with Nieuport to review plans for construction to confirm that the work is undertaken in a phased manner to ensure that the terminal upgrade will be as seamless as possible for travellers and airport partners and will not disrupt the surrounding community.
 
The project will get underway later this month and is expected to be completed in 2018. Regular updates will be provided to travelers, the community and stakeholders throughout the duration of the project via social media, the PortsToronto website and the Billy app, though minimal impact is expected in terms of the passenger experience.
 
“We are pleased to be investing in the future of this essential transportation infrastructure for Toronto and the surrounding region,” said Pamela Griffith-Jones, CEO, Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners. “These improvements to the terminal will further enhance the passenger experience with more spacious lounges and new services and amenities. During the construction, activities will be fully coordinated to ensure passengers continue to enjoy the same seamless, convenient, fast and comfortable experience they have come to expect at the airport.”
 
Nieuport has engaged PCL Constructors Canada Inc. as the construction contractor for the project along with Stantec Consulting Ltd. for project management services. Scott and Associates Architects Incorporated, the original architect of the terminal built in 2010, has also been engaged for architectural services.
 
About Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
Billy Bishop Airport is Canada's ninth-busiest airport and welcomes 2.5 million business and leisure travellers each year. 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.
 
About PortsToronto (http://www.portstoronto.com)
For more than 100 years PortsToronto, (formerly the Toronto Port Authority), 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 welcomes more than two million passengers each year; 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 $8 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.
 
About Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners
Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners is a consortium comprising InstarAGF Asset Management Inc., Kilmer Van Nostrand Co., Partners Group and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Nieuport operates the passenger terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport under a long-term lease with PortsToronto with a focus on delivering an exceptional passenger experience.
   
For more information please contact:
Sarah Sutton
Senior Manager, Communications
PortsToronto
647-298-0544
ssutton@portstoronto.com