In Toronto, a Survey Reinforces a Change in Attitude ...

... toward its City Centre Airport, which sits on an island in Lake Ontario just off the downtown mainland. Once called the Toronto Island Airport, the airfield has undergone a resurgence in recent years, much of it driven by Porter Airlines since it began air carrier operations at the facility three years ago. Porter also operates a recently renovated fixed base operation, and is in the midst of construction of a $45 million, 150,000-square foot airline terminal complex. Comments Porter CEO Robert Deluce about the airport, “It’s now viewed as an important piece of transportation infrastructure, with many passengers now depending on the City Centre Airport for their short-haul travel requirements.†The survey was conducted by the national public-opinion firm Pollara Strategic Insights for the Toronto Port Authority (www.torontoport.com). A key issue: Should the city take over the oversight duties of the Port Authority, which includes the downtown airport? Some 58 percent opposed the idea. Specifically regarding the airport, opposition grew if the city taking over the airport meant removing Porter Airlines from its downtown location. I recall a visit to Toronto City Centre Airport some ten years back, and the airfield was under considerable scrutiny as to the value it brought to the area. For environmentalists, it would be a natural to eliminate the airfield and expand the adjacent Toronto Islands Park. Porter’s Deluce says it’s the economic resurgence that has probably had the greatest impact on the changing attitude of the local populace. People are now using the airport, and many are becoming more reliant on the service that the airline provides. It’s great news for the downtown airport -- to see a vital piece of transportation infrastructure be used and be seen for the value it brings. Contrast that to Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport, which has its highs and lows dependent upon the local political mood swings. Or, to Chicago’s Meigs Field, which Mayor Richard Daley is turning into a park after essentially destroying the airfield with bulldozers in the middle of the night in March 2003. Thanks for reading. jfi