Premier wants to see ‘gold mine’ airport in downtown Toronto expanded for jets
Speaking at an event with the Toronto Region Board of Trade on Thursday evening, Ford said he’d seen polling to support expanding the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to include a bigger runway for larger jet engines.
“They’re incredible people,” the premier said of airport leaders. “But I got to tell you one thing, we got to extend that runway. We have to bring jets in, smaller jets, whatever, until people can hop on there.”
The island airport doesn’t fall directly under the premier’s jurisdiction and is governed by a tripartite deal between the City of Toronto, Toronto Port Authority and the federal government. It was recently extended from 2033 to 2045.
The lease was extended at the end of 2024 by city council in a 17-8 vote following a motion from Mayor Olivia Chow. She put forward the proposal despite a staff report that advised against drawing out the agreement before more public consultation.
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Ford addressed his comments to Chow on Thursday night, telling her strong public support would allow her to expand the downtown airport.
“So, mayor, we did a poll, and our poll is pretty, pretty accurate,” he said. “It is telling us that 70 per cent of the people — now this just totally flipped, especially for people living downtown and that want to get somewhere real quick.”
Chow’s office said in a statement she would “work with the Premier on waterfront revitalization.”
Billy Bishop is located on Toronto Island across the water from Bathurst Street.
It operates Air Canada and Porter Airlines flights to domestic Canadian destinations and some cities in the United States, like New York and Chicago. It competes with Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga and, to an extent, the Hamilton or Kitchener airports.
Ford said he wanted to see the airport expanded because it’s a “gold mine” to have air travel so conveniently accessible in the downtown.
“It’s a gold mine, having an airport downtown. That’s what the polls are saying. That’s what the people are saying,” Ford said.
“They want another option to get this done. So, with the mayor’s support, we’re going to put out some proposals to get things moving.”
A spokesperson for the Toronto Port Authority declined an interview request.
“At a time when the provincial and federal governments are looking to build resiliency and a future-focused economy, now is the right time to look at how this airport can be more and do more,” they said in a statement.
“We welcome the comments made by the Premier at the Toronto Region Board of Trade Annual Dinner which speak to the need to build resiliency, prepare for the future, and unlock the tremendous economic potential of the airport.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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