Topic: Weekend Runway Alternation Program 2018

On a relief weekend, communities could expect significantly reduced aircraft noise. However, there were some periods throughout the relief weekend where capacity demands required the use of more than one runway – particularly during offload and triple operations.

Testing a Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program helped us validate anticipated benefits to communities.

A Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program is a noise sharing program. Our 2017 Residents’ Reference Panel discussed noise sharing specifically and recommended that the airport only pursue a noise sharing program if relief afforded to communities is meaningful and predictable.

Our Technical Analysis on a Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program predicted that a runway alternation schedule using the east/west runways should be able to be followed as planned 98% of the time; Toronto Pearson believes this fits the Residents’ Reference Panel’s definition of meaningful and predictable.

Testing the program for eight weekends allowed us to collect enough operational data to verify if our predictions were correct.

Testing also allowed communities to experience the program and provide us with informed feedback. The community experience during the test was one of four essential components in determining the success of the test.

An assessment of both operational data and community feedback will inform the final decision about the permanent implementation of a Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program.

During the technical analysis of the Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program, we studied two operational concepts and measured them against the same criteria:

• Ability to adhere to a published schedule
• Maintain current landing/departing capacity requirements
• Reflect the values and guiding principles provided by our 2017 Residents’ Reference Panel
• The first runway alternation concept included all five runways: two north/south and three east/west

The second runway alternation concept only included the three east/west runways.

Analysis determined that it wasn't feasible to include north/south runways in the program because then we would not have been able to adhere to the schedule and maintain the necessary landing and departing capacity requirements.

The decision to permanently implement a Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program at Toronto Pearson will rely on four factors:

1. Schedule reliability – Can we operate the runways according to the schedule we published?
2. Accuracy of operational impact – We anticipated some changes to the community experience during the non-relief weekends. Does our data from the testing period – like altitudes, noise and traffic levels – align with our predictions?
3. Operational feasibility – Did the test identify any unforeseen operational issues that would prevent implementation on a long-term basis?
4. Community feedback – Do the survey results indicate that communities find the Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program provides meaningful and predictable relief?

An assessment of both operational data and community feedback will inform the final decision about the permanent implementation of a Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program.

No, the flight paths did not change. Flight paths are determined by NAV CANADA.

In Spring 2018, we completed an extensive public consultation on Six Ideas to reduce noise impacts for our neighbours based on a two-year technical study. A Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program is Idea 5 of the Six Ideas.

The consultation communications reached 2.9 million GTA residents through advertisements; 250,000 through social media impressions; more than 160,000 residents through phone calls; elected officials across the region through briefings. This outreach resulted in more than 8,700 website visits, 430 attendees to 15 public meetings, and more than 900 survey responses.

At our June 21, 2018 public meeting, we presented an update (PDF, 1.5 MB) on the Six Ideas and announced that we would move forward with the testing for a Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program.

Following that announcement, we launched a communications campaign to advertise the Summer 2018 test of the Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program to communities that may see a change in operations. This included full page colour newspaper advertisements in Metroland papers across the region reaching more than 747,000 readers. As this information is technical, we included an offer for translation services in five of the most common languages in the area at the bottom of the ad.

In addition, we sent an automated phone call advising of the program to 163,000+ residents within Group A and Group B zones. We briefed and communicated the program to elected officials across the region. We promoted the program in our Checking In e-newsletter that reaches approximately 17,000 readers. And, we continue to share information through Twitter and Facebook.