What types of flights go over my neighbourhood?

Passenger Aircraft

If you’re wondering whether the flights over your area are filled with people or cargo, there is a good chance it is both. The most common type of operation at Toronto Pearson is passenger flights with cargo in the underbelly, representing approximately 90% of all airport operations in 2019 when the airport helped move over 50 million passengers and over 450,000 flights.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic reduction in air travel across the globe. Overall traffic had dropped by 61% in 2020 compared to 2019.

In 2022, passenger activity began increasing due to the easing of pandemic-related traffic restrictions and pent-up travel demand. When looking at all traffic, the operations peaked during the summer, and by the end of 2022, Toronto Pearson had seen about 75% of 2019 traffic.

For recent statistics of Toronto Pearson operations by type, see our Quarterly Reports.

Airport Cargo

Toronto Pearson is Canada’s largest air cargo hub, handling close to 40% of the country’s air cargo. In 2019, the airport facilitated about 516,000 tonnes of cargo. Despite this, the vast majority of the airport’s operations are passenger flights; prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 70% of airport cargo that moved through Pearson was in the underbelly of passenger aircraft. In 2019, about 15 out of every 1,000 operations, or approximately 1.5%, were dedicated cargo flights.

Cargo operations at Toronto Pearson play a vital role in the network of global supply chain logistics, facilitating the movement of a wide range of goods for consumers and businesses of all sizes. Some everyday items that move through the airport include air mail, fresh food like produce and seafood, technological items such as cellphones and laptops, and much more.

Belly cargo

The most common type of cargo operation is belly cargo, which refers to cargo goods that travel in the underbelly of a passenger flight. Did you know that, on average, at least 50% of international flights are only profitable due to the contribution of belly cargo?

Dedicated cargo

Although most cargo comes in the underbelly of passenger aircraft, some flights operate as dedicated cargo flights—aircraft that are loaded with cargo goods only, both in the underbelly and where passenger seats would be, like this FedEx flight arriving at Toronto Pearson.

Business and general aviation

Business or general aviation refers to flights typically conducted by smaller aircraft by charter airlines at Toronto Pearson. These can range from helicopters to fixed-wing turbine or propeller airplanes. In 2019, general and business aviation accounted for approximately 7% of the airport’s total operations. To see the current proportion of business and general aviation operating at Toronto Pearson, check out our Quarterly Reports.