[urbanclient]

With all of this, I still don't think they are complying with contemporary Runway Safety Area standards and from the diagram, don't appear to be including it.

This, and they still haven't installed EMAS, over 20 years after Air France 358. IMO runway overruns are inevitable. It's a matter of when, not if.

Engineered materials arrestor system - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The US gets a lot of flack for air safety recently, rightfully so, but EMAS is extremely common in the US compared to the rest of the world. AFAIK Canada has 0 EMAS installed.

"Currently, there are 122 EMAS systems at 70 U.S. airports." https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/two-emas-systems-successfully-stop-aircraft-separate-incidents

The cost is ~$20 million CAD for both sides of one runway.

 

[IRT_BMT_IND]

I believe the current constraint is passenger handling more that runway capacity. There has been a quick (in aviation terms) shift from smaller aircraft to larger higher capacity aircraft. So more passengers are being moved with the same or similar number of aircraft movements. Having been in YYZ a few times I can confirm that the passenger facilities are indeed to small to handle the number of passengers it sees. T1 international is absolutely rammed during the Evening European departure bank. There is not enough room around the gate waiting area to accommodate the 200-450 passengers waiting for any one flight given space being taken up by restaurants in what should be waiting areas (looking at you Fetta, Heirloom Bakery, Vinifera, and Marathi). This begins with building the Transborder pier, giving additional space and freeing up swing gates on the E pier for international flights.

My dream scenario for the International pier would be for Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge and Signature suite to move to the outer perimeter of the terminal (giving great plane spotting views), with direct connections to gates E74-E77. And moving restaurants like the above mentioned Fetta et al up to the third floor in a food court style area, this would free up space at the gate waiting areas and re distribute some passengers (first by allowing direct gate access from Maple Leaf Lounge and second by having people sitting and eating at the restaurant 'food court'

The difficulty is that the upper floor is used by arriving passengers to walk to the customs hall. I don't think that's an un surmountable obstacle but one I doubt GTAA would spend money on.

The walkways on level 3 probably could be moved to move the lounges and build a food court. The main issue is this would eliminate the high ceilings in the departure area and would compromise the original T1 design even more, basically it would make it barely distinguishable from T3 inside.

Also, I believe the new pier will be both international and transborder on seperate levels like the A/Z pier at FRA, and the existing pier will become international/domestic swing gates.

 

[nfitz]

The main issue is this would eliminate the high ceilings in the departure area and would compromise the original T1 design even more, basically it would make it barely distinguishable from T3 inside.

From the render, it looks like the motto for the T1 main terminal extension is "compromise the original design" and drop the ceiling height. It looks like a value-engineered extension.

 

[urbanclient]

From the render, it looks like the motto for the T1 main terminal extension is "compromise the original design" and drop the ceiling height. It looks like a value-engineered extension.

Just wondering, which render are you talking about? T1 actually looks and feels like a world-class airport. To neuter the design to stuff in more people would be a tragedy.

 

[nfitz]

Just wondering, which render are you talking about?

The one in Wednesday's Urban Toronto article - https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2026/05/pearson-launches-3b-first-phase-airport-modernization.60987. Someone already posted another image it from it on the last page (page 128).

T1 actually looks and feels like a world-class airport. To neuter the design to stuff in more people would be a tragedy.

The foot print isn't changing. It just looks as though it's being cheaped out. With the new piece of that big curved main building shown here beween Pier F and Pier G, that wonderful arched roof is gone. And all the curved roof elements on the new piers and secured passenger areas area gone. The piers are higher though. Maybe some of this is an extra level, but that seems unnecessary on the curved portion of the main terminal, along the public roadway.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

The walkways on level 3 probably could be moved to move the lounges and build a food court. The main issue is this would eliminate the high ceilings in the departure area and would compromise the original T1 design even more, basically it would make it barely distinguishable from T3 inside.

Also, I believe the new pier will be both international and transborder on seperate levels like the A/Z pier at FRA, and the existing pier will become international/domestic swing gates.

Also in my fantasy plan is that the walkways to customs be moved to the lower level, thus eliminating the up/down/down path that arriving passengers take from their gate. But then I don't know what the 1st level looks like inside. I noticed also that FCO dumps arriving passengers right into the same concourse that departing passengers are waiting on. I'm not sure what operational differences each airport has that allows or prevents arriving and departing passengers from comingling, but this could be an option as well.

I realize putting a ceiling on the departures area of the hammerhead would remove the airy feeling that the vaulted ceilings offer. However, and I'm not sure the exact height of the terminal building,. but it's definitely not going to create a claustrophobic low ceiling effect at all. From some google maps photos it looks like the 3'rd level is at least 12-20 feet above the 2'nd level, so you'd still have the high ceiling effect. Heck you might even be able to fit in a 4'th floor for lounges only.

The biggest loss would be the sculpture (tilted spheres) in the middle of the Hammerhead losing it's sense of being a placemarker from anywhere in the hammerhead. However I also feel that all the retail they have shoved in has really detracted from it's prominence anyway.

I've mapped out two possible scenarios for creating additional space on the upper floor, and where the new arrivals paths would be in red.
The first is the more modes proposal. It creates ~51,000 sq ft of new space with direct accessibility to gates E74 to E77 (useful for an AC lounge/signature suite where passengers can go directly from the lounge to the plane).

The second is a bit more ambitious and would require really addressing the arriving passenger path issue. But creates 73,000 sq ft of new concourse space, and give direct access to 8 of the gates (with significant changes neeeded)

Anyway I'm sure there's more than enough vertical space to add additional space and not give the low ceiling penn station effect.

 

[Bojaxs]

EXCLUSIVE: Whistleblowers say organized crime has infiltrated Canada’s largest airport

Whistleblowers tell CTV News' investigative unit W5 that organized crime has infiltrated Canada’s largest airport as they call for sweeping reforms in line with the post Sept. 11 security reckoning.

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[jcam]

Also in my fantasy plan is that the walkways to customs be moved to the lower level, thus eliminating the up/down/down path that arriving passengers take from their gate. But then I don't know what the 1st level looks like inside. I noticed also that FCO dumps arriving passengers right into the same concourse that departing passengers are waiting on. I'm not sure what operational differences each airport has that allows or prevents arriving and departing passengers from comingling, but this could be an option as well.

I realize putting a ceiling on the departures area of the hammerhead would remove the airy feeling that the vaulted ceilings offer. However, and I'm not sure the exact height of the terminal building,. but it's definitely not going to create a claustrophobic low ceiling effect at all. From some google maps photos it looks like the 3'rd level is at least 12-20 feet above the 2'nd level, so you'd still have the high ceiling effect. Heck you might even be able to fit in a 4'th floor for lounges only.

The biggest loss would be the sculpture (tilted spheres) in the middle of the Hammerhead losing it's sense of being a placemarker from anywhere in the hammerhead. However I also feel that all the retail they have shoved in has really detracted from it's prominence anyway.

I've mapped out two possible scenarios for creating additional space on the upper floor, and where the new arrivals paths would be in red.
The first is the more modes proposal. It creates ~51,000 sq ft of new space with direct accessibility to gates E74 to E77 (useful for an AC lounge/signature suite where passengers can go directly from the lounge to the plane).

View attachment 737763


The second is a bit more ambitious and would require really addressing the arriving passenger path issue. But creates 73,000 sq ft of new concourse space, and give direct access to 8 of the gates (with significant changes neeeded)

View attachment 737770

Anyway I'm sure there's more than enough vertical space to add additional space and not give the low ceiling penn station effect.

When I flew through the hammerhead last year, my takeaway was that I had the impression historically it was much more open than today (me having vague recollections of flying internationally 15+ years ago). My understanding is that the new piers will also coincide with renovation of the existing piers, and I imagine that may mean some return to large open areas where its been chopped up by transborder or other alterations.