Toronto Pearson Airport awarded 2020 Environmental Achievement Award

The manager and operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) – has been awarded a 2020 Environmental Achievement Award in the Environmental Management Category from Airport Council International-North America (ACI-NA) for its 20/2020 sustainability strategy, which was developed in 2009 with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 per cent (from 2006 levels) by 2020.

As of the end of 2019, the GTAA had reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions at Toronto Pearson Airport by almost 60 per cent versus a 2006 baseline – with approximately 30 per cent of these reductions coming from GTAA operational changes and innovations, and the other 30 per cent attributed to the cleaning of the provincial power supply.

Director of Aviation Infrastructure, Energy and Environment at the GTAA, Todd Ernst, said: “We’re extremely proud of the results we’ve seen from our sustainability strategy. In 2009, the impact of climate change was becoming increasingly clear. We moved proactively to find ways of reducing energy consumption and associated GHG emissions. We believed then, as we do today, that it is our responsibility, as Canada’s largest airport and a leading global mega hub, to make a meaningful contribution in this area.”

The GTAA has undertaken many initiatives to reduce GHG emissions as part of the 20/2020 plan, including: 

• Providing pre-conditioned air and ground power to aircraft to prevent the use of jet fuel while parked at the gate
• Replacing metal halide lights with LEDs and installing energy-efficient variable-speed drives for its baggage systems
• Installing 32 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the parking garages of both terminals and in a cellphone lot for people waiting to pick up arriving passengers
• Installing 80 chargers airside for use by electric baggage tugs and other service vehicles 
• Introducing two electric shuttle buses for passengers in 2019, with plans to add three more as existing gas vehicles are retired
• Implementing Airport Collaborative Decision Making, which helps to shorten taxi times and eliminate unnecessary idling as aircraft wait to access gates or the deicing facility, translating into lower fuel consumption and reduced GHG emissions.

ACI-NA is the trade association representing commercial service airports in the U.S. and Canada. The annual Environmental Achievement Awards acknowledge the achievements and dedication of ACI-NA members by promoting awareness more broadly within the airport community, the general public and regulators of the many innovative efforts taking place at airports.