Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government is developing a plan to extend the runway at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) to permit jet operations, a move that could significantly reshape route options and competitive dynamics in the Toronto market.
Speaking last week at the Toronto Region Board of Trade covered by Global News, Ford said that government-commissioned polling shows growing public support for expansion.
“We have to extend that runway,” he said. “We have to bring jets in—smaller jets, whatever—until people can hop on there.”
Billy Bishop currently handles only turboprop aircraft for scheduled commercial service. YTZ's roughly 3,988-foot runway supports De Havilland Dash 8-400 operations flown by Porter Airlines and Air Canada. Commercial jets are prohibited under the 1983 Tripartite Agreement between the City of Toronto, the federal government and PortsToronto, which also restricts runway length.
The idea is not new. In 2013, Porter proposed introducing Bombardier’s CSeries—now the Airbus A220—alongside a runway extension into Lake Ontario. The proposal was shelved in 2015 when the federal government declined to reopen the agreement.
Supporters argue that modern regional jets could expand destination options and intensify competition with Toronto Pearson International Airport. Opponents warn of waterfront encroachment and increased noise.
Any expansion would require agreement from all three parties to the governing accord, as well as regulatory approvals. In other words: for now, the proposal remains conceptual.
