{"id":40836,"date":"2026-05-11T19:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T19:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/40836\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T19:20:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T19:20:24","slug":"pearson-ceo-touts-incredible-benefits-of-current-airport-ownership-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/40836\/","title":{"rendered":"Pearson CEO touts \u2018incredible\u2019 benefits of current airport ownership model"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Deborah Flint, CEO of Toronto Pearson International airport, defends the current ownership model of Canadian commercial airports, which are owned by the federal government but administered by not-for-profit airport authorities.Nathan Denette\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

As talk of privatization swirls, the head of Toronto\u2019s Pearson airport says the existing public ownership model has served travellers well \u2013 but she remains open to \u201cenhancements\u201d that tap into private-sector investment.<\/p>\n

Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, said in an interview she shares the federal government\u2019s goal of growing Pearson\u2019s capital value, but that the current framework has proven its worth by steering Canada\u2019s biggest air travel hub through major expansions over the decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been many strong suits about this model. When we think about how much the airport has grown in the 30 years since this model began, it\u2019s pretty incredible,\u201d she told The Canadian Press.<\/p>\n

Previously: Toronto\u2019s airports authority announces \u2018decade-long investment\u2019 in Pearson Airport<\/a><\/p>\n

Flint pointed to growth that saw passenger numbers nearly double to 47.3 million last year from 24.7 million in 2003. On average, more than 950 passenger planes took off or landed daily there in 2025, connecting to more than 200 destinations, versus about 165 spots in 2012.<\/p>\n

The current ownership model already amounts to a form of privatization, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a bespoke model and what might come in the future would be further enhancements of this bespoke model.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Canada, commercial airports are owned by the federal government and run by not-for-profit authorities that lease them and oversee operations.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Travellers exit through the international arrivals doors at Pearson Airport in Toronto, on Saturday, March 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sammy KoganSammy Kogan\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

In its spring economic update last month, however, the government indicated it was eyeing privatizing those assets, which pay $525-million in annual rent to Ottawa, according to the Canadian Airports Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government is also assessing opportunities to unlock the full value of airports in support of investments in Canada\u2019s long-term growth, including through alternative models of ownership,\u201d the update states.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney doubled down on the potential turn away from the ownership structure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will look at options for the airports so they better serve Canadians, and so that the capital that is tied up in those airports can be redeployed potentially in other ventures that will grow our economy,\u201d he told reporters in Mirabel, Que., last week.<\/p>\n

The potential for privatization likely has airlines concerned.<\/p>\n

The issue, raised periodically over the past quarter-century, has been pooh-poohed by carriers over the possibility of higher landing and terminal fees charged to carriers \u2013 a cost passed on at least partly to passengers \u2013 by a private owner aiming to please shareholders in near-monopoly markets.<\/p>\n

In 2017, then-National Airlines Council of Canada CEO Massimo Bergamini called for a \u201cclear repudiation of an idea that carries no demonstrable benefits for travellers, communities or Canada\u2019s airlines.\u201d<\/p>\n

The industry group did not reply immediately to questions from The Canadian Press.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the country\u2019s biggest airport is kicking off its next major project.<\/p>\n

Pearson on Monday launched a multibillion-dollar upgrade that aims to boost passenger numbers by more than a third to 65 million a year by the early 2030s.<\/p>\n

The revitalization plan looks to ramp up traffic and tighten on-time performance with improvements ranging from repaved runways to \u201cmodernized retail\u201d and possible terminal expansions.<\/p>\n

The initial $3-billion phase revolves around an expanded airfield, better lighting systems, more electric vehicle charging and \u201crebuilding every part\u201d of the airport\u2019s 30-kilometre baggage system \u2013 mainly conveyor belts and carousels \u2013 Flint said.<\/p>\n

She framed the renovations as a gateway to greater global trade and passenger satisfaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand is there today,\u201d she said. \u201cAirports are so important to the country and its strategy of being more connected to new trade partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pearson, which hosted 47.3 million travellers in 2025, hopes to grow that figure by 35 per cent within about seven years.<\/p>\n

The investment, which draws on $142-million in federal infrastructure funding, follows the travel chaos that hit Canadian airports in 2022 after a surge in post-COVID-19 demand sparked scenes of endless lines, stranded passengers and overflowing baggage halls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Deborah Flint, CEO of Toronto Pearson International airport, defends the current ownership model…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[164,224,238,214,212,239,17,211,230,231,227,213,210,235,171,234,143,222,249,215,216,229,225,226,219,240,220,244,245,247,242,246,94,243,217,142,233,113,232,241,223,236,48,237,228,221,218,248],"class_list":{"0":"post-40836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-canada-news","16":"tag-canada-sports","17":"tag-canada-sports-news","18":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","19":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","20":"tag-canadian-news","21":"tag-economy","22":"tag-education","23":"tag-environment","24":"tag-federal-government","25":"tag-foreign-news","26":"tag-globe-and-mail","27":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","28":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","29":"tag-government","30":"tag-life-news","31":"tag-lifestyle","32":"tag-local-news","33":"tag-manitoba","34":"tag-national-news","35":"tag-new-brunswick","36":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","37":"tag-northwest-territories","38":"tag-nova-scotia","39":"tag-nunavut","40":"tag-ontario","41":"tag-pei","42":"tag-photos","43":"tag-political-news","44":"tag-political-opinion","45":"tag-politics","46":"tag-politics-news","47":"tag-quebec","48":"tag-sports-news","49":"tag-technology","50":"tag-toronto","51":"tag-travel","52":"tag-trudeau","53":"tag-us-news","54":"tag-world-news","55":"tag-yukon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}