Toronto Pearson Airport plummets in global rankings for 2026

While Toronto Pearson International Airport is the country's biggest and busiest airport, it's nowhere near the best according to a new global ranking.

AirHelp, a travel tech and logistics company, unveiled its annual list of the best airports in the world, and Toronto didn't perform well.

Of the 279 airports the company analyzed from 76 different countries, Toronto Pearson Airport landed at number 263 with an overall score of just 6.95. This year, it lost even more altitude, dropping 61 spots from its 2025 position.

Between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026, AirHelp calculated scores for each airport based on the following criteria: on-time performance, delay and cancellation data, passenger experience, and facilities and comfort. 

The much smaller (that is, until the Ford government expands it) Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto ranked much higher than Pearson, landing at number 199 with an overall score of 7.38. 

AirHelp

Pearson received a low score of 6.7 for on-time performance, which, AirHelp says, contributes 60 per cent of the final score for the travel hub that has struggled in the past with long, exhausting flight delays and cancellations — especially during winter months when weather complicates matters beyond the airport's control.

A spokesperson for Toronto Pearson Airport tells blogTO certain metrics don't reflect the airport, but the individual airlines themselves. 

"On-time performance (OTP) is a metric related to arrival times of in-coming flights which are impacted by airline performance, weather conditions, and operations from the airports that carriers flew in from. It is not a measure of operations efficiencies at Toronto Pearson," they say. Pearson has invested in digital infrastructure enhancements that help airline carriers reduce turnaround times and improve OTP.

"While we take note of all external surveys, we rely on the Airports Council International's World Airport Service Quality program, which is the gold standard in our industry," they say.

In AirHelp's ranking, Pearson also earned a score of 7.7 for passenger experience despite a 6.9 score for facilities and comfort. 

In May, Pearson Airport kicked off its $3 billion renovation project, one of the largest airport infrastructure projects in Canadian history. Part of the makeover, which will take around a decade to complete, includes a complete renovation of Terminals 1 and 3, and modernization and expansion of its facilities to accommodate an estimated 28,000 additional passengers per day.

Panama City Tocumen Airport in Panama City was crowned the world's best airport in 2026, leaping forward from its 6th place ranking last year.

Here's a look at AirHelp's 10 best airports in the world for 2026:

AirHelp

You can view the complete ranking on AirHelp's website.