Are there flights at night?

Toronto Pearson operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

Flights at night can cause more of a disturbance than flights during the day, mainly because ambient noise is lower and many people are trying to sleep. That is why Toronto Pearson has several measures in place during the night to manage the noise impacts, including:

• The Night Flight Restriction Program which includes an annual limit on the number of flights operating between 12:30 a.m. and 6:29 a.m. The program is audited by Transport Canada every year.  
• Flying over more non-residential areas such as green spaces and industrial zones during low traffic periods. This is done through nighttime arrival and departure procedures implemented by NAV CANADA in November 2018
• A Preferential Runway System used between midnight and 6:30 a.m. which prioritizes the use of runways that limit the noise impacts on surrounding communities, whenever possible

In 2019, about 5 per cent of the airport’s operations occur during the preferential runway hours of midnight to 6:30 a.m. The interactive report below, reported on quarterly, shows the percentage of Toronto Pearson flights during the day compared to the preferential runway hours overnight: