Here's what Toronto Pearson International Airport's expansion could look like

While the spotlight may be on Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport's growth plans lately, the city's primary flight hub, Pearson, is on track for some much more substantial development. And, there are now new renderings of what the international airport's revamped terminals could eventually look like.

As part of its ongoing Long-term Investment in Facilities and Terminals (LIFT) program announced in April 2024, Pearson's two primary terminals will be completely renovated and increased in size to cope with ever-surging demand.

Being the largest, most bustling airport in Canada and one of the busiest in all of North America, the facility is looking to not just better optimize passenger capacity, but improve customer experience as it looks to serve some 65 million passengers per year by the early 2030s — 20 million more than it saw in 2023,  marking an increase of almost 50 per cent.

Key objectives include further digitizing all points of travel with biometrics and wayfinding, expanding spaces to accommodate a greater number of travellers, and "modernizing retail, amenities and passenger processing spaces."

So, expect more room at customs and security clearance — 25 new CATSA lanes, a new 7,000-square-metre U.S. pre-clearance facility and a 4,000-square-metre CBSA hall— along with some fancy new store and restaurants spaces (13,000 square metres worth).

Other areas of the terminal will also be refreshed, even parking garages, with renderings showing tons of greenery throughout the concourse and sleek seating options to accommodate crowds of travellers waiting at their gate.

The images, shared as part of a recent Industry Forum, are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change, but still give a general idea of the vision that the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) has in mind.

Structures and fixtures nearing their end of life will also be renewed along with other "critical assets" ranging from plumbing and electrical systems to paving.

Two kilometres worth of airstrip are set to be reconfigured and 100 square kilometres of the hub's concrete apron repaved to optimize aircraft flow and parking.

Presently, the gateway and terminal revitalization portions of the LIFT initiative are still in the planning phases, with a request for pre-qualification for the work due in the next two months. A design contractor has also still yet to be selected for the project.

Following that, stakeholders will issue a request for a project proposal in the second quarter of the year, award a contract for the work in the third quarter, and eventually engage in a detailed design phase as 2025 closes out, with construction to follow by mid-2026. 

The terminal upgrades are just one part of the larger LIFT initiative, which also includes expanding Pearson's cargo processing capacity, creating a temporary new terminal facility to accommodate passenger growth in the short-term, bettering on-time performance, upgrading baggage handling systems, reducing emissions and more.