Mississauga’s Pearson Airport launches one of largest runway rehab projects in its history

Travellers using Pearson Airport in Mississauga and nearby residents can expect some “significant” and “disruptive impacts” in the coming months as Canada’s biggest airport launches one of the largest runway rehabilitation projects in its history.

Starting in early April, the airport will begin major work on its second-busiest runway (Runway 06L/24R), which was built in the 1960s and is in desperate need of upgrades to ensure aircraft and passenger safety.

The work is expected to continue into the late fall, the airport says, adding nearby residents may experience an increase in aircraft noise at times.

Pearson officials say the extensive work to be completed will “ensure the continued safe operation of the airport, and consequently the safety of passengers, employees and the communities we serve.”

They add that they’re still in the planning stages and expect more details on the schedule, community impacts and mitigations by early March.

“We recognize that work such as this may have some temporary disruptive impacts on travellers and certain communities near the airport,” Pearson officials said in a release. “Rest assured, we are working in close partnership with our industry and construction partners to deliver a project that is safe and minimizes impacts—both community and operational—as much as possible, though significant community impacts are expected.”

Airport officials say they’ll keep residents and travellers updated as regularly as they can on the work being carried out and associated impacts.

Officials add that the public can keep up with the work being completed and other ongoing maintenance by visiting the Noise Advisory Page and/or using the interactive online tool InsightFull.

Residents and others can also register any noise complaints with airport officials.

Pearson says the runway rehabilitation work will ensure the “continued safety of operations at Pearson, including the safety of passengers, employees and our communities.”

The runway, which is three kilometres long, needs to be fully rehabilitated due to the wearing down of its concrete sub-structure as a result of weather conditions, use and time.

“We have reduced airline slots and adjusted schedules for the duration of the project to mitigate operational and community impacts,” Pearson officials say. “We will continually reassess our approach for the duration of the rehabilitation to minimize impacts to communities surrounding the airport.”