I did not see another thread on this so here we go. How does /n/ feel about downtown city airports? I know most world class cities such as London, New York, Washington DC, etc. Have proper downtown airports. It looks like Toronto is going to get one as well. Until now, the Billy Bishop island airport, so named after a Canadian WWI fighter pilot ace, could only accommodate turbo prop aircraft. The Province of Ontario is now looking to extend the runway to allow Jets. This would greatly expand the range of the airport, especially to far cities in western Canada and the southern United States. Potentially even western Europe. Is this a good move, or a short sighted volley?https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/03/09/ford-doubles-down-on-toronto-billy-bishop-expansion-plans-calls-island-residents-squatters/
>>2067443As much as I find airports hella awesome and think people are being bitches when they complain about noise (I've lived under the approach path of an airport for decades), let's be honest that this is a retarded fucking waste of taxpayer money that will have utterly marginal economic benefits.It was already being debated whether the airport should close entirely because it was non-economical for even Porter compared to relocating to Pearson. Only boomer nostalgia about never wanting anything in the city to change, ever, is driving this idea.And, like, I get it. I'm sad Downsview Airport closed and became an ugly reality-TV set, and then an even uglier "stadium". But life moves on.
LCY.
>>2067443Seems like a no-brainer and recently Ontario announced they'll be taking over the airport from Toronto, which would expedite the expansion. It has the benefit of not being encroached by private property that would need to be secured. I wonder what their plan is to handle additional parking and services for jets, that area looks crowded now. Ultimately they could close the smaller runway to free up space - it's only 750m/2400ft long.>>2067449General aviation is driving runway expansions to handle jets. Airports that can't or won't upgrade to handle them will get left out. Bishop is missing so much revenue by not being able to land them, especially given its proximity to downtown. The closure of Downsview makes the need and demand all the greater.
>>2067484>General aviation is driving runway expansions to handle jets. Airports that can't or won't upgrade to handle them will get left out. Bishop is missing so much revenue by not being able to land them, especially given its proximity to downtown. The closure of Downsview makes the need and demand all the greater.I'm circling back and I will concede that the economic forecasting has changed since I last reviewed the topic. I mostly recall the debate in the 2022 municipal election, and there was a strong argument at the time to not renew the agreement expiring in 2033 (especially with the cost of the legally mandated runway extension looming). But it looks like the academic research was revised in 2024 and paints a slightly better picture.And certain commitments to invest have already been made since 2022 so if we take those as sunk costs and not items up for re-debate, then this move is much more incremental progress than I pictured on hearing the breaking news.Still, Doug Ford remains a narcissistic moron and all his ideas deserve a skeptical reaction the moment they dribble from his mouth.
Most of the airports have developed away from city centers because planes and tall structures should avoid each other, and the ones that do remain are functionally obsolete or second-string at best.The closure of Meigs Field was a gross overreach of mayoral power but it was also not very useful as a major airport, either.
>>2067533You can just say it was a crime. I don't know when americans turned into such cucks that they're afraid to call elected officials criminals when they do criminal things in broad daylight
