Congratulations to Toronto Pearson Airport for being named “Best Large Airport in North America serving more than 40 million passengers” by Airports Council International (ACI) World, the global trade representative of the world’s airports.

Built in 1937 as an alternate to the downtown Toronto Island Airport, Toronto Pearson Airport was originally known as Malton Airport.

In 1936 the Government of Canada was looking for a site for the Trans-Canada Air Lines and purchased over 1,400 acres of farmland in Malton to build the airport with construction planned for 1937.

As a secondary airport to the Island Airport, known as the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport at the time, the new Malton Airport had only one terminal. However due to the increased interest in flights from Malton Airport, additional terminals were added and the airport continued to outgrow the Toronto Island Airport.

The first flight landed at the Malton Airport on August 29, 1938.During the Second World War the operations of the Malton Airport were halted and it was used as a flying school from 1940 to 1945. After 1946 and the end of the Second World War, the airport continued to expand with flights from the Malton Airport expanding exponentially and a third terminal was built.

In November of 1958 the Malton Airport was renamed the Toronto International Airport and then in 1984 it was renamed the Lester B. Pearson International Airport and is referred to today as the Toronto Pearson Airport.

Today Toronto Pearson Airport is the one of the largest and busiest airports in Canada, one of the busiest airports around the world, and serves over 40,000,000 passengers a year.

Written by:

Kelly Ralston

Heritage Mississauga, Social Media & Program Coordinator