Pearson runway takes off after months of flight delays, cancellations due to upgrade

The revamping of the country’s busiest runways at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport wrapped up Tuesday evening after nearly two months of upgrades disrupting thousands of airline passenger’s travel plans.

The $30 million reconstruction project of the longest and busiest of Pearson’s five runways began on Mar. 28, according to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the arm’s length agency that operates Pearson.

Crews worked around the clock to lay down a new surface and replace rebar dowels on Runway 05-23, which runs east-west.

“This is one of the largest infrastructure projects to be done here at Pearson in the past decade, both in physical size and in scope,” Lars Olsson, manager of aviation programs, compliance and co-ordination at the GTAA told CTV News Toronto last month.

The construction resulted in a temporary 35 per cent reduction in capacity. Normally between 1,200 and 1,300 flights arrive or depart Pearson every day.

“We expect flight paths around Toronto Pearson will now return to more regular usage patterns, determined by weather and other operational factors,” the GTAA said in a statement.

“Residents to the north and south of the airport should notice reduced aircraft traffic levels than what has been occurring during this period of runway work.”

The first plane landed on the runway at 6 p.m. This arrives ahead of peak summer travel, a statement read.