10B

usiness Aviation

10C H A P T E R

BU S I N E S SAV I AT I O N

v

advanced booking or prepaid

regularly scheduled pas sen ger or

scheduled cargo service.

1 0 . 3 H I S T O R I C A L C O N T E X TO F G E N E R A L A N DB U S I N E S S AV I AT I O N ATT O R O N T O P E A R S O N

General Aviation was purposely

allocated to Area 8 away from the

terminal area in the 1950s due to

operational and safety concerns.

This area cannot be expanded as

it is located on land between the

approaches to the north-south

runways. Historically, activities

from this area included small scale

passenger trans porta tion, cargo

operations, flight train ing, air

survey photography, sightseeing

tours and recreational flying. The

facilities in this area were built to

reflect these usages.

Chapter 10 > BU S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

10.1

B U S I N E S S AV I A T I O N

Chapter 10

1 0 . 1 I N T R O D U C T I O N

Business Aviation (BA) is the sub -

set of General Aviation (GA) that

serves corporate business aviation

needs. The facilities that support

Business Aviation provide a variety

of aviation-related services such as

aircraft fuelling, maintenance and

hangar facilities as well as special

services for pas sengers and flight

logistics support for aircrews.

The demand for BA facilities in

the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

is currently significant, reflecting

the strong and diverse economy

of the GTA. Even the current

record fuel prices have not

dampened the demand for

BA services.

The focus of this chapter is to

assess what facilities may be

required to meet demand over

the Master Plan period.

1 0 . 2 D E F I N I T I O N O FB U S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

The following describes activity

which is currently associated with

the Area 8 and Area 10 Infield

area Fixed Base Operators (FBOs)

plus move ments associated with

aircraft man age ment or aircraft

sales related activities that occur in

the GTAA Three Bay Hangar or

else where.

There are a number of diverse

operations including:

• corporate flight department

operations

• aircraft charters

• fractional ownership operations

• aircraft management services

• government/state and military

operations

• air ambulance operations

• aircraft maintenance

• aircraft sales and acquisitions

• aircraft fit-up activity

• cargo/courier operations

• smaller commuter type aircraft

unable to land at their desig -

nated airport in the GTA due to

poor meteorological conditions

at that airport

• operations by private individuals.

For the purposes of the Master

Plan at Toronto Pearson, Business

Aviation will be defined as:

That sector of aviation which con -

cerns the operation or use of aircraft

by companies for the carriage of

passengers or goods as an aid to the

conduct of their own business,

flown for purposes considered

not for public hire and piloted

by individuals having at the

minimum, a valid commer -

cial pilot’s licence with an

instrument rating. This

definition will exclude

airline and non-airline

Chapter 10 > BU S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

10.2

General Aviation activity peaked

in 1978 with 97,000 aircraft

move ments representing 39 per

cent of total air traffic. Aircraft

weighing less than 2,000 kg

constituted 20 per cent of total

movements. This volume of

activity was incom patible with a

large international airport and so

was the mix of small aircraft with

many flight training operations

and large commercial aircraft.

By the mid-1980s, training flights

were officially banned at the

Airport due to run way and taxi -

way conges tion and regulations

were instituted to exclude various

operations during peak demand

periods.

By 1988, runway capacity con -

straints and associated delays were

sufficiently severe to require the

introduction of flight registration

and slot scheduling. Aircraft were

no longer permitted to land with -

out receiving prior permission and

only a limited number of non-

carrier flights were allowed during

peak activity hours. In addition,

minimum landing fees for

off-peak and peak periods were

introduced.

As a result of these changes, the

profile of General Aviation activity

at Toronto Pearson has changed

dramatically in terms of types of

aircraft and purpose of activity.

General Aviation declined from

39 per cent of total move ments in

1978 to 12 per cent in 1992.

Today, General Aviation has

evolved primarily into Business

Aviation, and in 2006, accounted

for approx imately 36,500 move -

ments, or 8.7 per cent of the total

airport movements. Even though

the number of move ments has

decreased, the size and weight of

the aircraft has increased.

1 0 . 4 P R O F I L E O FO P E R AT I O N S

In 2006, there were approximately

36,500 Business Aviation move -

ments which had the following

characteristics:

• Jets accounted for 66.6% of

opera tions, 32% of operations

were propeller driven (primarily

turbo prop), and helicopters

were 1.4%.

• Movements by weight class

(maximum takeoff weight) were:

• >50,000 kg 1.4% (commercial

sized jets e.g. Boeing 727, 737)

• 19,000 kg-50,000 kg 14.7%

(large and mid-size business jets

e.g. Bombardier BD-700 Global

Express, Bombardier Challenger

600 Series, Gulfstream II–V

series, Dassault Falcon 900)

• 12,000 kg-19,000 kg 21.3%

(mid-size business jets e.g.

Bombardier Challenger 300,

Dassault Falcon 20/50/200/2000,

Raytheon Hawker 800, Cessna

Citation 680/750)

• 5,670 kg-12,000 kg 44.4%

(small busi ness jets and medium

turboprops e.g. Bombardier

Learjet Series, Cessna Citation

550/560/650, Israel Aerospace

Industries Westwind 1124,

Dassault Falcon 10, Raytheon

Hawker 400, Beechcraft 1900,

Beechcraft King Air 300)

• 3,500 kg-5,670 kg 14.6% (small

business jets and small turboprops

e.g. Cessna 208 Caravan,

Beechcraft King Air 100, Pilatus

PC-12, Cessna Citation 525,

Sikorsky S-76)

• <3,500 kg 3.6% (piston aircraft

e.g. Piper PA 31-350 Chieftain,

Cessna 172, Beechcraft Baron 58)

• By sector, domestic operations

accounted for 43.3% of opera -

tions, transborder 53.2%, and

international was 3.5%. Special

considera tion has to be given to

Area 8 Business Aviation Area

Chapter 10 > BU S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

10.3

each of the respective operating

contexts in Canada and the

United States since there are

different patterns of aircraft

ownership and utilization.

Business Aviation operators have

access to six slots per hour in the

peak periods and can also utilize

slots not used by commercial

aviation operators. A peak period

charge applies as well.

1 0 . 5 D E S C R I P T I O N O FC U R R E N T FA C I L I T I E S

Business Aviation facilities at

Toronto Pearson are located in

Area 8 of the Airport North area

and in the Area 10 Infield area (see

Figure 10-1). Currently there is

approxi mately 42,800 m2 of net

hangar space, 1,900 m2 of separate

FBO terminal space, and

102,700 m2 of apron space

devoted to Business Aviation use

combined in Area 8 and the

Infield including the interim use of

the GTAA Three Bay Hangar.

These tenants lease space and, in

turn, sublease some of their space

to other tenants providing related

services and to aircraft owners for

storage and maintenance. Hangar

facilities vary greatly in size, age,

condition and in their capability to

accommodate aircraft. A summary

of the facilities is provided below.

Area 8

The Area 8 Business Aviation

facilities are illustrated in Figure

10-2 and described below.

Skycharter is an independent

Fixed Base Operator (FBO) selling

unbranded fuel. Skycharter

operates two hangars with a total

of 7,300 m2 net space, (Hangar 8A

with an integrated passenger

lounge and Hangar 8B), sup ported

by 15,800 m2 of apron and

80 park ing spaces.

Landmark Aviation (formerly

Piedmont Hawthorne) is a Shell

products dealer. Landmark

Aviation currently operates four

hangars totaling 18,200 m2 (net

space) and two Fixed Base Opera -

tion (FBO) terminals (1,100 m2),

supported by 58,600 m2 of apron

and 717 parking spaces.

Innotech/Execaire provides

aircraft manage ment, mainte -

nance, aircraft charters and sales

services, but does not sell fuel.

Innotech/Execaire currently

operates one hangar which has a

net area of 2,300 m2 and no apron

area (they have a right of way over

the Hangar 9 apron). There are

42 vehicle parking spaces.

Access to airside for all tenants in

Area 8 is served by Taxiway Kilo

(uncontrolled) and Taxiway Juliet

(controlled). Groundside access to

Area 8 is from Derry Road to

Vanguard Drive and Vedette Drive

which form a perimeter road on

three sides of Area 8.

FBO Terminal (Area 8)

Infield FBO Terminal (left) and GTAA Three Bay Hangar (right)

Chapter 10 > BU S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

10.4

There is one underground tank

farm located in Area 8 containing

seven tanks each with a capacity of

66,000 litres. These fuel tanks

serve the Skyservice and Landmark

Aviation FBOs. Skycharter has its

own above ground fuel tank which

is a single tank with a capacity of

68,000 litres. Fuel is bulk delivered

to the tanks by truck and then

delivered to the aircraft by truck

when required.

Area 10 – Infield

The Infield Business Aviation

facilities described below are

illustrated in Figure 10-2.

Chapter 10 > BU S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

10.5

Skyservice FBO is an Esso

products dealer. Skyservice

currently operates one hangar with

a net area of 8,400 m2 and

28,300 m2 of apron area. They

also lease the north bay of the

GTAA Three Bay Hangar of which

half is used for Business Aviation

activity (3,300 m2). Addi tionally,

they operate an FBO terminal

building which is 800 m2.

This facility has 210 vehicle

parking spaces.

Bombardier currently utilizes the

middle bay of the GTAA Three

Bay Hangar for aircraft sales

related activity (3,300 m2).

Airside access for the Infield area

is through taxiway Echo (con -

trolled). Groundside access to

the Infield area is from Britannia

Road East to Midfield Road.

1 0 . 6 I N D U S T RY T R E N D S

A number of important changes

are currently occurring in the

Business Aviation industry:

• There is a general tendency

toward the use of progressively

larger business aircraft which will

have implications for space

require ments at airports even if

the number of movements were

to remain static.

• The certification of the first Very

Light Jet (VLJ) aircraft models

has just recently occurred and the

first aircraft are being delivered.

VLJs are a whole new class of air -

craft that are relatively inexpen -

sive yet have high performance

characteristics. This type of

aircraft could be more accessible

to individual owners and could

facilitate the air taxi business, so

it could potentially stimulate the

Business Aviation industry. At

the time of writing, two VLJ

aircraft models have been certi -

fied and at least ten more are

pending certification over the

next few years. How ever, it will

take several years before enough

aircraft models are certi fied,

manufactured and sold before

any trend will be visible. Debate

exists about how prolific these

aircraft will be, who will use

them and how. Information

gathered in support of this plan

suggests that this type of aircraft

will have a limited presence at

Toronto Pearson.

• Business Aviation aircraft

currently incorpo rate advanced

technologies in aircraft airframes,

engines/engine manage ment

systems, and avionics which all

provide for the following:

• greater fuel efficiency

FBO Hangar

Chapter 10 > BU S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

10.6

• reduced noise and pollution

emissions

• increased range and payload

• greater ease of operation

• facilitation of more efficient use of

air space when combined with

new air naviga tion system

equipment.

• New models of ownership/

charter of business aircraft (such

as fractional owner ship and block

charter cards) facilitate easier

acquisition/use and higher uti li -

zation of aircraft, and supports

more proliferation of aircraft

movements.

• Due to a thriving economy, the

ability to more easily acquire

access to business aircraft and the

perceived greater con venience of

using business aircraft, the

number of businesses considering

the use of business aircraft as an

alternative to scheduled

commercial travel is increasing.

• There is currently a very strong

market for new and used

business aircraft.

• There are potential changes in

air navigation technology such

as the use of GPS based naviga -

tion which may allow for greater

capacity of the airspace system

facilitating a greater accommo -

dation of aircraft operations.

• With consolidation in the FBO

industry, there is a tendency

towards fewer independent

opera tions and more chain

opera tions which allows aircraft

operators to make multi-airport

arrangements with FBOs for the

provision of services.

1 0 . 7 F O R E C A S T O FD E M A N D

Business Aviation is recognized to

be vital to the economy of the

Greater Toronto Area and is

expected to continue to require

facilities within the region which

facilitate access to Toronto. The

use of other existing airports in

the GTA may not be feasible

alternatives to accommodate

Business Aviation due to factors

such as:

• Toronto City Centre Airport

currently cannot serve jet aircraft.

Fuelling Facility

Chapter 10 > BU S I N E S S AV I AT I O N

10.7

• Buttonville Airport has insuf -

ficient runway length for

certain jets.

• Other GA airports in the region

are on the periphery of the GTA

and lack facilities and suitable

runways for jet aircraft.

Additionally, there are some un -

certainties at the current time that

complicate forecasting:

• The future of a potential new

airport at Pickering has not yet

been determined, there fore it is

unknown how much Business

Aviation demand would be

directed to Pickering if the

airport is built.

• The impact of the proliferation

of VLJs on the industry has yet

to be determined.

• The impact on demand from the

United States due to proposed

airspace manage ment finance

reforms there is unknown. These

reforms threaten to add more

costs onto the Business Aviation

industry if they are implemented.

Since more than half of Business

Aviation activity at Toronto

Pearson is to/from the U.S.

(trans border), any major change

in the opera ting environment in

the U.S. will likely have a signifi -

cant impact on demand for BA

facilities with access to Toronto.

• Fuel prices have risen dramati -

cally recently as a result of

various factors and it is un known

at what point any further

dramatic increases would

dampen demand.

Below are forecast levels of

demand presented in five year

increments throughout the Master

Plan period:

Business Aviation

Movement Forecasts

Year Movements

2010 39,500

2015 43,500

2020 48,000

2025 53,000

2030 59,000

The forecast level of demand

reflects an average annual growth

of 2% in movements per year

from the current baseline over the

Master Plan period.

The forecasts take into considera -

tion the following assumptions:

• Business Aviation aircraft weights

and sizes are expected to grad -

ually increase over time requiring

more land area for a given

number of movements than has

occurred in the past.

• A strong relationship between

Business Aviation activity and

macroeconomic factors has been

identified and the forecasts are

based on a relationship to

these factors.

• The continued operation of the

existing General Aviation airports

in the region.

• The operating environment at

Toronto Pearson remains stable

with respect to availability of

slots, fees, ability to conduct

night operations and noise

restrictions.

1 0 . 8 F U T U R ER E Q U I R E M E N T S

Business Aviation forecast

demand, for those activities that

fall within the definition pro vided

in Section 10.2, could be accom -

mo dated at Toronto Pearson

throughout the Master Plan

period through the combined use

of a re devel oped Area 8 and

existing facilities in the Infield.

The Infield area is, however, con -

strain ed for further expansion of

Business Aviation facilities.

FBO Hangar