Prepare for more noise at Pearson Airport in Mississauga
Published September 21, 2021 at 9:04 am
Mississauga residents living near Pearson Airport who’ve been complaining for decades about the noise caused by hundreds of incoming and outgoing daily flights should ready themselves for a volume increase in the coming weeks and months.
With international travel on the rise once again as more people become fully vaccinated amid the COVID-19 pandemic and government restrictions on air travel are eased, the number of daily flights at Pearson has dramatically increased in recent weeks—a trend that isn’t going away.
Officials with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which runs Pearson, say “while air traffic volumes won’t hit pre-pandemic levels for some time, we anticipate that communities around the airport will begin to experience an increase in aircraft noise, given that air traffic has been at levels not seen since 1970 due to the pandemic.”
They add that “this aircraft noise isn’t ‘new noise’. However, communities may experience it that way.”
The GTAA goes on to say it remains committed to working with communities near Pearson in an effort to “manage our impacts.”
“We understand that airport operations have an impact on the surrounding communities, and we work closely with our industry partners to make sure noise management remains a central part of the conversation as the airport recovers from the impacts of COVID-19,” the GTAA said.
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Residents and others will have a chance to voice any concerns as the latest round of Pearson’s Noise Management Forums is being held this week. It’s an opportunity, officials say, for elected officials, stakeholders and residents to learn more about airport operations and noise management efforts, and to provide feedback regarding their concerns.
Pearson is hosting a political briefing today (Sept. 21) for elected officials and on Thursday the GTAA hosts an open public meeting for residents and others who are interested. Both gatherings are being held virtually.
Residents can also access information via Pearson’s interactive tool, InsightFull, or call the airport’s Noise Management Office at 416-247-7682.
As government restrictions have eased the past several weeks, Pearson has welcomed a sharp increase in activity from carriers who’ve resumed daily and weekly flights in and out of the airport.
Airport officials say various airlines are making “a strong return” to Pearson, with more routes from domestic carriers Air Canada, Air Transat, Sunwing, Swoop and WestJet, as well as international carriers Air India, Aer Lingus, China Southern, Copa Airlines and Condor.
Air India resumes daily flights in and out of Pearson on Sept. 25.
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