Canada's busiest airport is undergoing a major overhaul. Toronto Pearson has officially launched a revitalization of its Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, the second phase of a multi-billion-dollar construction program aimed at expanding capacity and modernizing the experience for the millions of travellers who move through the hub each year.
The latest phase carries a price tag of $1.5 billion, according to the airport. The work is designed to expand terminal space and lift the airport's overall capacity, a response to steady growth in the number of passengers passing through Pearson and the strain that growth places on aging infrastructure.
That growth is significant. The airport says it expects an increase of 15 million passengers annually, a jump that has helped drive the case for larger terminals and more room to move people through check-in, security and boarding without the crowding that tends to come with rising demand.
For travellers, the project promises more space across many areas of the terminals, along with new shopping and dining options and upgraded travel experiences. The airport says the revitalization is intended to make moving through Pearson smoother and less congested even as it handles a larger volume of people.
The overhaul also leans heavily on new technology. The airport says it will introduce new check-in systems and add advanced security screening for CATSA, the authority responsible for passenger screening in Canada, as part of an effort to speed travellers through some of the airport's busiest bottlenecks.
Sustainability is part of the plan as well. Among the upgrades is an investment in energy efficiency that includes 45,000 new LED lights across the terminals, a change the airport frames as part of a broader modernization of one of the country's most important pieces of transportation infrastructure.