Terminal Two About To Close Down For Good
Posted January 28, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s out with the old and in with the new at Canada’s largest airport with a 35-year-old terminal set to close for good.
Terminal Two at Pearson International Airport is slated to shut down permanently on Tuesday at midnight. The depot will be replaced by an $800-million addition to Terminal One, making Canada’s biggest gateway to the world a two-terminal operation with the ability to handle about 38 million passengers a year.
The new 84,000 square-metre addition is called Pier F and will officially open the same day as part of Terminal One. Officials with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) say the new wing will make passengers’ experience a much easier one as it features 25 new gates for international traffic, 680 metres of moving walkways, and Canada’s largest duty-free store.
“It allows convenience for the airlines and it’s very efficient. It has all the amenities that the passengers want,” Steve Shaw, the GTAA’s vice president of corporate affairs, said Sunday.
Pier F will also feature in-transit pre-clearance that allows travellers connecting from international to U.S.-bound flights to go directly to American customs without having to go through Canadian customs.
Aside from the ease of movement through the airport, the new wing will also be appealing to the eyes. There are 11 commissioned works in Terminal One created by Canadian and international artists and there are six temporary art installation spaces around the building.
Despite the spiffy new facility, some folks are sad to see Terminal Two go, including many of the employees who work there.
“They’re sad they’re leaving this terminal. This is our second home,” said airport worker Gigi Najam, who’s worked at Pearson for five years.
And others have more sentimental attachments to the building. Scott Crowe, a former airport shuttle bus driver, met his wife in the terminal.
“I was sent to pick her up and I dropped her off,” he said.
By the end of 2007 there should be no trace of Terminal Two. Crews are going to tear down the building and recycle its parts.
For more information, visit the GTAA’s website.
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