Toronto’s Pearson Airport to Limit Flights

In an effort to avoid delays, Canada’s busiest airport says it would set “strict limits” on the amount of planes entering or departing during March break and peak summer hours.

According to an email from the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, the number of passengers who may arrive internationally or depart to the United States through each terminal in a given hour would be limited.

Flights will be rescheduled in order to maintain the number of flights and passengers under the new limitations. The GTAA did not react to a question about if this meant that flights bought months ago will now be cancelled to satisfy the new restriction, and it did not offer any information about what the limitations are.

The flight and passenger limitations follow a disastrous year for Pearson, which was named the world’s worst airport for delays last summer, with thousands of flights cancelled, travellers stuck, and baggage misplaced.

According to a previous Star investigation, the delays and cancellations were mostly caused by airlines selling more seats over the spring and summer than either they or the airport could manage, given fewer personnel levels when flying restrictions were eased.