The year of reclaiming titles: Toronto Pearson International Airport

International Airport Review Editor, Holly Miles caught up with Deborah Flint, CEO of Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) for this exclusive interview.

2024 has been a year of reclaiming titles and Deborah explained what has been key for them in regaining their prestigious ranking as ‘Best airport over 40 million passengers in North America’ which has been giving passengers better quality information, predictability and control over their experience.

Deborah said that they have sped up processing with a number of highly adopted tools, such as YYZ Express which allows you to book your place in the security line, or pre-fill your U.S. Customs Declaration through mobile passport control, so the digital customer experience was very much enhanced. 

The airport recently regained its ranking in Forbes list of ‘Canada’s best employers’ and is the only airport included on that list. 

Deborah explained that their aim as part of their 10-year strategic plan is to “joy back into travel” by making Pearson the chosen place to fly from and to work. They have found themselves playing a new role in the ecosystem after the pandemic recovery to host job fairs and a number of workforce readiness programmes which is something airports were not really doing before the pandemic, but which they now much do when there is a workforce shortage. 

Deborah also explained the Pearson Standard and how it will help them drive operational efficiencies across the airport business, as well as their 2024 agenda for decarbonisation.

Deborah explained that for over a decade they had a strategy of sweating their assets, which served the time but now its time for them to invest in the future, so they have announced their LIFT (Long-term Investments in Facilities and Terminals) plan, a decade-long multibillion-dollar initiative to upgrade their terminal buildings, increase capacity for passengers and baggage, construction of world-class retail experiences and create environmentally sustainable buildings that incorporate the latest technologies and innovation. Read more about that here.