Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, also called Toronto Island Airport, is a small airport on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It uses the airport codes YTZ for short flights and CYTZ for air traffic control. The airport mostly has short trips to places in Canada and the United States on Air Canada and Porter Airlines flights. It is one of nine airports in Canada where people can go through United States border checks before their flight.

The airport is close to downtown Toronto and is one of two airports with regular airline flights in the Toronto area. The other is Toronto Pearson International Airport. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is used for small planes, air ambulances, and trips by regional airlines. It is run by the Toronto Port Authority.

The airport is named after Billy Bishop, a famous Canadian pilot from World War I and World War II. It opened in 1939 and has had some debates about growing bigger. In 2026, plans were made to allow bigger jets to use the airport.

Description

The Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is located on the Toronto Islands, southwest of Downtown Toronto. It has one main runway running east to west, a shorter runway, and a place for seaplanes called the Billy Bishop Toronto City Water Aerodrome. The airport is used for short trips by small airplanes, medical evacuation flights, and private planes. Big jets are not allowed except for medical flights. The airport has one passenger building, which was built in 2010, and covers about 85 hectares (210 acres).

The airport is run by the Toronto Port Authority, a group that also looks after Toronto Harbour. It is a place where people from the United States can check in before they reach the border. The airport is open from early morning until late at night, except for special medical flights and emergencies. Passengers can get to the airport through a free pedestrian tunnel with moving walkways and elevators, or by ferry that runs every 15 minutes. There is also a free shuttle bus, taxis, and parking available. The airport charges a fee for each passenger leaving on a scheduled flight.

History

The first idea to build an airport came in June 1929 by the Toronto Harbour Commission. They wanted to start with a place for seaplanes and later build a full airport. In 1935, Toronto City Council approved the airport plan. Construction began, but a new government stopped a tunnel project.

In 1936, the city formed a committee to decide where to build the airport. They chose two spots: the Toronto Islands and Malton. The island site would have both seaplanes and land planes, with Malton as a backup. The old structures on the island, like Hanlan's Point baseball stadium and cottages, were moved to make space. The seaplane base opened in 1938, and the paved runways and terminal opened in 1939. The airport was named Port George VI Island Airport in honor of a royal visit planned for that year.

During World War II, the airport became a training base for the Royal Norwegian Air Force and later the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the war, it returned to civilian use for flying clubs and aviation companies.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the airport grew with new runways, lights for night flights, and more buildings. By 1961, it was the busiest airport in Canada because of the many small planes taking off and landing there.

In later years, the airport faced money problems and debates about expanding. New airlines started flying there, and in 2009, it was renamed Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in honor of a famous Canadian pilot from World War I.

In 2015, a pedestrian tunnel was built to connect the airport to the mainland, replacing an earlier plan for a bridge. In 2023, work began on a new U.S. border preclearance facility, which opened in March 2026, allowing more flights to the United States. There have also been ongoing discussions about possibly allowing jet planes at the airport, which many people in the community oppose because of noise concerns.

Airlines and destinations

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, also called Toronto Island Airport, is a small airport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It mainly offers short trips within Canada and to the United States. Two airlines, Air Canada and Porter Airlines, use this airport for their flights. This airport is special because it has facilities where travelers can go through U.S. border checks before they even leave Canada. This makes the trip easier for people flying to the United States.

Disputes

City of Toronto taxes

The Toronto Port Authority (TPA) owned land that was not rented to others, so they did not have to pay certain taxes called Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT). The City of Toronto thought the TPA owed about $37 million in unpaid PILT for all its properties. They talked about this problem and decided the TPA should pay 80 cents for each passenger flying through the airport. Later, they agreed that the TPA would pay $6.4 million for past years, and they settled on paying 94 cents per passenger, the same as another big airport nearby.

Bridge proposal

For many years, people talked about building a bridge or tunnel to the airport. Some wanted to close the airport and turn it into a park because of worries about noise and air pollution. In 2002, plans for a bridge were approved, but later, the new mayor decided not to build it. This caused some legal problems, but they settled and decided not to build the bridge anymore.

Late-night landings

Some people living near the airport worried about late-night flights because of noise and safety. Once, a plane landed after the airport was supposed to be closed, and the airline got a fine.

Increase in number of flights

In 2009, the TPA said they might let more planes fly from the airport. They planned to allow more takeoffs and landings each day once a new building was finished. Some people were unhappy about this because they thought it would make more noise and pollution. Studies were done to look at these effects, and more flights were allowed after agreeing with other airlines.

Facilities and services

For passengers flying with Porter and Air Canada, there is a shuttle bus that goes to Toronto Union Station and the Fairmont Royal York. The airport has parking lots, a taxi stand, and a car rental agency. There are no direct buses or streetcars to the airport, but nearby streetcar routes operated by the TTC include the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst routes.

The airport has a pedestrian tunnel for walking and uses ferries for vehicles. It owns two ferries: the Marilyn Bell I, which can carry 200 passengers, and the David Hornell V.C., which can carry 150 passengers as a backup. The ferry charges for vehicles but is free for passengers. Porter Airlines has its corporate headquarters at the airport.

In 2017, the airport opened a special building called the "Ground Run-Up Enclosure." This building helps reduce noise when planes need to test their engines at high power. The airport has one main terminal with 11 gates and several hangars used by different companies for airplane services and repairs. The airport also has a fire and rescue service with special vehicles to handle emergencies. Porter Airlines provides two types of airplane fuel for pilots to use.

Statistics

Annual traffic

The number of flights at this airport has gone down between 2025 and 2026. Porter Airlines, which used to have many flights here but now operates from a different airport, has reduced its daily flights from more than 170 to about 50. On average, there are about 70 flights each day. This decrease matches a general drop in flights from Canada to the United States during the same time. Also, Porter plans to stop flying to Sudbury from this airport on May 1.

Annual passenger traffic

Year	Passengers	% change
2010	1,130,625
2011	1,550,000	37.2%
2012	2,300,000	48.3%
2013	2,300,000
2014	2,400,000	4.3%
2015	2,500,000	4.2%
2016	2,700,000	9%
2017	2,800,000	3.7%
2018	2,800,000
2019	2,774,000	1.2%
2020	389,000	86%
2021	282,000	27.5%
2022	1,732,000	514%
2023	2,036,000	17.6%