AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Be careful what you wish for, because there will undoubtly be pressure to push back and close it entirely instead. Porter doesn't own the airport - the Feds does.
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Toronto Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport | ?m | ?s | Ports Toronto | Arup
Be careful what you wish for, because there will undoubtly be pressure to push back and close it entirely instead. Porter doesn't own the airport - the Feds does.
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JasonParis
Moderator
I've always personally felt that Hamilton's John C. Munro International is a better location for a second major GHTA airport. It never gets discussed much, although Pickering obviously does (and to some degree Billy Bishop and Downsview do too).
freshcutgrass
Senior Member
I think the case he was trying to make, was that prepping the island airport for jet service was less difficult and/or cheaper than prepping Downsview for passenger service. Which I think I think is incorrect.
But let's get back to reality....it makes more sense to prep an airport for jet passenger service that allows jets, then to prep an airport for jets that isn't allowed to use jets.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Given the presence of subway (two stations at the periphery), the future GO station and highway interchange, the superiority of the Downsview site from an access perspective is pretty undeniable. But that's just one dimension in any case.
What I do like to point out is that the label NIMBY is being thrown around, but not when one would be potentially affected by it (whispers notwithstanding), because then Canada's Urban National Park all of a sudden seem to be the most important thing.
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TOareaFan
Superstar
A free airport at Downsview? Let's do it 
TOareaFan
Superstar
Over the years, various airlines have tried (and government money has been invested to) making Hamilton a viable commercial airport. Inevitably they fail as the flying public just chooses airlines flying out of Pearson. The market speaks.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
A free airport at Downsview? Let's do it
Yeah, you'd be hearing about how those who thought the jets whispers before all of a sudden no longer think so.
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Admiral Beez
Superstar
Hamilton, like Pearson would serve those west of Toronto, but anyone east isn't helped.
Towered
Superstar
Perhaps that wouldn't be a bad idea. It would be nice to convert the island airport back into what it used to be.
dowlingm
Senior Member
The bigger problem for Hamilton is that anyone in the eastern part of its catchment (at least) is crossing the border to Niagara Falls and Buffalo, taking a big chunk of US and Caribbean traffic.
The suggestion that we build an airport between Oshawa and Toronto on the lake is interesting. Might be able to watch the takeoffs and landings from the Pickering Nuclear Plant. This is a province where we can't build a wind farm on the Lake but we could build an airport on a from-scratch island? Hong Kong we ain't.
(Oh, also an airport at Downsview with any kind of decent flight schedule would impinge on Pearson traffic flow, so not happening.)
picard102
Senior Member
Live next to it, would have no issue with it because I'm not some dullard who thinks the city owes me silence at the sacrifice of being a city, or that my personal comfort is above the needs of the modern world.
I chose to live here, and that meant knowing there was an airport that could generate noise. Anyone who wants to move next to an airport and then complains about it are morons.
Additionally, when they landed the new plane at Downsview a few weeks ago, I couldn't hear it, unlike the air traffic from Pearson which is constant.
But sure, Porter can move to Downsview, or Pearson, just as long as it's not in some idiots backyard, hoping they'll get to live in a park instead of a city somehow.
Riverdale Rink Rat
Senior Member
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Why does Hamilton ( & K-W on occasion) get suggested as a possible second airport, but not Oshawa? It's obviously currently really small, but it has a big chunk of not-yet-tract-housing north of it. Build in a huge new aeronautical engineering program at UOIT and there's your second airport, east end of the GTA. Makes as much sense or more than the Pickering site.
Also: I just went down the rabbit hole of the GTAA masterplan. Given that they have another runway and a another terminal 1 pier to add, why would we want to fund another airport at this point? Wouldn't it better to wait until Pearson is a little further down the line to capacity before worrying too much about it?
Also: I just went down the rabbit hole of the GTAA masterplan. Given that they have another runway and a another terminal 1 pier to add, why would we want to fund another airport at this point? Wouldn't it better to wait until Pearson is a little further down the line to capacity before worrying too much about it?
picard102
Senior Member
It would take a few years to get a new airport up and running, so I assume that would be the impetus for moving forward before it's near capacity. But I imagine it's at least 20 years before they need to get started.
They'll be updating the masterplan at some point in the near future as well, to reflect the new larger volume aircraft and trends in traffic patterns, which should push out their capacity date even further.
dowlingm
Senior Member
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Way too close to existing residential area, and the land is probably already spoken for by developers - you won't be able to assemble land with ease there. Plus you will need whole EA process which will probably last till the end of the universe.
Actually they can add at least two more piers to T1 (the size of Pier E). Projection is a tricky thing given it assumes linear growth, but it's better to have plans than none I suppose.
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