Most of us meet Toronto Pearson at its least charming: a 5 a.m. check-in line, a delayed gate change, a carousel that refuses to move. It rarely occurs to anyone to ask how big the place actually is, why it carries a prime minister’s name, or why an airport in Mississauga is coded YYZ. The answers are better than you would expect. Here are the rare facts about Toronto Pearson Airport that most people (including plenty of long-time Torontonians) have never heard.
Who Is Pearson Airport Named After?
The airport honours Lester B. Pearson, born in Toronto, Canada’s 14th prime minister and the winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in defusing the Suez Crisis. The name is more recent than most people assume. The airport was officially renamed Lester B. Pearson International Airport on January 2, 1984. Before that, it had been called Toronto International Airport since 1958 (some sources place the rename a couple of years later), and before that, Malton.
A small detail worth knowing: when the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) took over operations in 1996, the branding shifted to “Toronto Pearson International Airport.” That is the name on today’s signage, which is why you will hear Pearson, Toronto Pearson, Toronto Airport and YYZ all used for the same place.
Malton Airport Toronto: A Farmland Beginning
Before the 401 interchanges and the 24-hour cargo ramps, this was farmland near the small community of Malton, then part of Toronto Township (today’s Mississauga). The first landing at Malton Airport took place on August 29, 1938, and the first scheduled passenger flight followed exactly a year later.
Here is the part that surprises people. In the original plan, the downtown Island Airport, now Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, was meant to be Toronto’s main field, with Malton as the secondary one. Space ran out on the island, demand grew, and the roles flipped. In 1958 the City of Toronto sold Malton to the federal government, and it grew from a single terminal into Canada’s biggest air hub.
Why Is Toronto Pearson Called YYZ?
Nothing to do with the name Pearson. The letters trace back to Malton’s old railway telegraph station, which used the code “YZ.” When Canada added a “Y” prefix to airport codes, Malton’s YZ became YYZ. (Billy Bishop is YTZ, and the now-closed Buttonville Municipal Airport in Markham, which shut on November 24, 2023, was YKZ.)
How Big Is Toronto Pearson Airport?
Bigger than most people picture from the departures curb. According to Toronto Pearson’s own fast facts, its operations cover 1,861 hectares, roughly 4,600 acres, which the airport compares to nearly 12,500 hockey arenas. Other references list 1,867 hectares (4,613 acres), depending on how the boundary is measured, so you will see both numbers in circulation.
| Measure | Toronto Pearson (latest available) |
| Site area | ~1,861 ha (about 4,600 acres) |
| Passengers, 2024 | 46.8 million |
| Passengers, 2025 | 47.3 million (up 1.1%) |
| Destinations served | About 200, domestic and international |
| Share of Canada’s air passengers | Close to 30% |
| Share of Canada’s air cargo | About 45% |
| Distance from downtown Toronto | About 22.5 km northwest |
| Employment zone | 400+ companies, 52,000+ people |
Pearson also forecasts growth to around 65 million passengers a year by the early 2030s, which is why you will see construction cranes at the airport almost every season.
How Many Runways Does YYZ Have?
Five main runways, plus more than 30 taxiways. Three run east-west and two run north-south, and the longest, Runway 05-23, stretches about 3,390 metres. That is over three kilometres of concrete and asphalt, wide enough at 61 metres (200 feet) to land several small aircraft side by side.
| Runway | Length (metres) | Length (feet) |
| 05-23 | 3,390 m | 11,120 ft |
| 15L-33R | 3,369 m | 11,050 ft |
| 06L-24R | 2,956.5 m | 9,697 ft |
| 15R-33L | 2,770.5 m | 9,088 ft |
| 06R-24L | 2,744 m | 9,000 ft |
Every runway is 61 metres wide. Those numbers are why Pearson can handle everything from regional turboprops to wide-body long-haul jets, and why a runway incident can ripple through a whole day of flights. In early 2025, a single aircraft incident closed a runway for five days and nudged passenger totals, according to GTAA’s quarterly results.
More Rare Facts About Toronto Pearson Airport
Most of it is not in Toronto
The bulk of the airport, including both terminals, sits in Mississauga. Only a small portion of the airfield extends into Etobicoke, which is part of Toronto proper. Ask for directions with “Toronto” in mind and you will still end up at the right place, but the municipal address is Mississauga.
There used to be more terminals
Terminal 2 and the original Aeroquay 1 are both gone. Aeroquay 1 closed in 2004 after handling close to nine million passengers a year. Today only Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 serve the public, and Air Canada and the other Star Alliance carriers operate from Terminal 1.
Terminal 1 has a “basement”
Regular flyers sometimes discover, years in, the lower-level D gates in Terminal 1, a quirk that has gone viral on social media. If your boarding pass says D and you are looking at the upper level, ask a staff member early. It can add a surprising walk.
It is one of the continent’s international heavyweights
Pearson handles more international passengers than any other airport in North America except New York’s JFK, and has been named best large airport in North America (40M+ passengers) seven times in eight years by Airports Council International.
It is a small city of its own
With more than 50,000 people working across its employment zone, Pearson sits at the centre of Canada’s second-largest employment cluster. Even the grounds are quirky: one travel guide notes that the airport hosts beehives with something like a million bees.
Toronto Pearson Airport Pictures: What to Look For
Searching “pearson airport images” or “pictures of Toronto airport” mostly returns the same few terminal shots. If you want photos that actually tell a story, look for these:
- Vintage Malton photos from the late 1930s and 1940s, held in the City of Toronto Archives, showing a single small terminal in open fields.
- Aerial shots from the west where all five runways are visible, the clearest way to grasp the airport’s scale.
- Terminal 1’s glass-and-steel arrivals hall and Terminal 3’s Grand Hall, which look nothing like the old terminals they replaced.
- Planespotting angles along the perimeter roads near Renforth Drive, popular with local enthusiasts.
What These Facts Mean for Your Pickup or Drop-Off
Scale is exactly why airport transfers go wrong. Pearson’s two terminals sit on a site covering thousands of acres, roads feed in from the 401, 427 and QEW, and a driver who does not know the arrivals layout can cost you 20 minutes. At Pearson Airport Limo Toronto we plan around this: we track your flight in real time, so a delay does not leave a driver idling or waiting for you at the wrong time, and our chauffeurs offer meet-and-greet service inside the terminal. Our Pearson Airport transfer service covers Terminals 1 and 3 on flat rates with no hidden charges, and we meet travellers at arrivals with a bottle of water and a coffee on request.
Travelling with kids? Our limo with child car seat option is booked ahead, so the right seat is installed before you land. Business travellers can set up recurring pickups through our corporate travel limo service. Flying into the city instead? We also run Billy Bishop airport transfers, the very island airport that Malton once outgrew.
Practical Tips for Your Next Trip Through YYZ
- Confirm your terminal before leaving home. Air Canada and Star Alliance flights use Terminal 1; check your ticket for others.
- Plan for the road, not just the runway. Pearson to downtown Toronto is roughly 22 km, but the trip can range from about 30 minutes off-peak to well over an hour in rush-hour traffic on the 427 and Gardiner.
- Allow extra time in winter. Lake-effect snow and de-icing queues slow both the road and the runway.
- Share your flight number when booking. It lets your driver follow the actual landing time rather than the schedule.
- Know your gate area. Terminal 1 includes the lower-level D gates; add buffer time if you are connecting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Pearson Airport named after?
It is named after Lester B. Pearson, Canada’s 14th prime minister and 1957 Nobel Peace Prize winner. The airport took his name on January 2, 1984, replacing the earlier Toronto International Airport name.
How big is Toronto Pearson Airport?
Its operations cover about 1,861 hectares, or roughly 4,600 acres, which Pearson compares to nearly 12,500 hockey arenas. It is Canada’s largest and busiest airport, handling 47.3 million passengers in 2025.
How many runways does YYZ have?
YYZ has five main runways: three oriented east-west and two north-south. The longest is Runway 05-23 at about 3,390 metres (11,120 feet).
What was Malton Airport?
Malton Airport was the original name of today’s Pearson. It opened in 1938 on farmland near the village of Malton, was sold to the federal government in 1958, and was renamed Toronto International before becoming Pearson in 1984.
Why is Toronto Pearson’s code YYZ?
The code comes from the old railway telegraph station at Malton, which used “YZ.” Canadian airport codes later gained a “Y” prefix, producing YYZ.
Final Thoughts
Behind the departure boards, Toronto Pearson is a farmland airfield that outgrew the island airport it was meant to back up, a name that only dates to 1984, and a five-runway operation covering roughly 4,600 acres. Knowing that makes the next long walk to the gate a little more interesting. And when it is time to get there or home, let us handle the roads. Reserve your ride with Pearson Airport Limo Toronto on our booking page for a flat rate, a flight-tracked pickup and a professional chauffeur waiting at arrivals.
