‘On path to restore reliability,’ officials say Pearson airport issues are improving
Posted August 5, 2022 11:19 am.
Last Updated August 5, 2022 8:36 pm.
Officials at Pearson Airport provided an update on Friday into their ongoing efforts to fix the problems that have affected travellers since people started flying again post-pandemic.
The head of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says the airport has been grappling with a staffing shortage affecting both carriers and federal agencies, and that the situation continues to improve.
“We are on path to restore predictability and reliability to air travel,” says GTAA CEO Deborah Flint. “Flight delays, cancellations, long wait times, these are the stories from our friends and from our families.”
The GTAA says 44 per cent of flights were on time last week, up from an average of 35 per cent over the four previous weeks.
“Forty per cent is not a number that we would strive for, but it is certainly better than some of (numbers) we were seeing in the earlier parts of summer,” says Flint. “I look forward to the days when we are back above 50.”
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Flint says that for domestic travel, the average wait time for bags to arrive at the carousel is now 24 minutes, a three-minute improvement over the previous four-week average.
As well, she says there were fewer instances where passengers were held on their planes to make room in the customs hall, happening 19 times in the last week. The airport previously saw a four-week rolling average of 60 plane holds.
The GTAA also say 82 per cent of passengers in the last week cleared security in less than 15 minutes, but that is only a one per cent increase over the average time in the last four weeks.
“Thanks to strong collaboration from partners, we’re seeing measurable improvements in flight delays, cancellations, baggage delivery and wait times,” said Flint in a statement.
“The aviation system worldwide is facing a perfect storm as it strives to improve operations in the aftermath of COVID-19. But the industry is rebounding, and the metrics we are sharing today show how working with our partners is yielding results.”
Flint say work is being done to modernize the airport and make for smoother travel, but no timeline was given for when the improvements will be implemented.
Post-pandemic issues have led to widespread flight cancellations, baggage delays and lengthy lineups at major airport across the country, with Pearson the hardest hit by these problems.
A report from flight tracking website, FlightAware, recently ranked Toronto Pearson as the world’s worst airport for delayed flights.
The data accumulated from May 26 and July 19 suggested the airport saw 52.5 per cent of its flights delayed — the only location with more than half of flights impacted.
On July 13, Toronto Pearson International Airport announced a new digital tool aimed at helping passengers navigate through the current strained air transportation system.
With files from The Canadian Press and Lucas Casaletto
