PortsToronto, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, has won the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) Environmental Achievement Award for Environmental Improvement with Limited Resources for the airport’s updated Master Plan. Fittingly entitled Cleaner, Greener, Quieter, the updated Billy Bishop Airport Master Plan demonstrates the significant results that the airport has achieved in sustainability since its 2012 Master Plan was released, and refines its vision to be a global leader in how a modern airport operates in an urban environment.
Established in 1997, the annual Airports Council International Environmental Achievement Awards recognize airports that strive to protect and preserve the environment through their programs, initiatives and projects. The updated Billy Bishop Airport Master Plan, which was released in November 2019, focuses on areas such as infrastructure requirements, activity forecasting, environmental initiatives and future planning, and was developed through a planning process that involved comprehensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement. Over a two-year period, more than 90 meetings were held with neighborhood associations, agencies including First Nations leaders, elected officials, local businesses, airport stakeholders and community groups. The final plan details priorities for Billy Bishop Airport as well as outlining key recommendations to support the airport’s commitment to managed growth that balances airport operations with community interests.
“Environmental sustainability is a top priority for North American airports, and these award recipients are a testament to our members’ extraordinary commitment to protecting the environment and supporting their communities,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “By consistently challenging themselves to innovate and adopt sustainable practices, the 2020 ACI-NA Environmental Achievement Award recipients stand out as industry leaders. I’m proud of the work underway at airports and look forward to continued progress.”
“One of the key factors in realizing many of our environmental goals is our collaborative approach to community and stakeholder engagement, which, in the case of our updated Master Plan, involved going building to building in our community to hear first-hand about the challenges that exist today and how to mitigate these issues in the short- and long-term,” said Gene Cabral, Executive Vice President of PortsToronto and Billy Bishop Airport. “We are thrilled to be recognized for our efforts to maintain thorough and transparent community and stakeholder outreach, to which we can attribute many of our positive results in sustainability thus far as well as the future strategic initiatives detailed in our Master Plan.”
This is the third time that Billy Bishop Airport has won an Airports Council International (ACI-NA) Environmental Achievement Award. In 2019, the airport won Best Innovative Project for the successful completion of its three-year Airfield Rehabilitation Program, which modernized the airfield with sustainable infrastructure that reduced energy usage by 75 per cent. Further, in 2017, the airport won the top award for its Noise Management Program. In addition, Billy Bishop Airport has won a series of passenger-driven awards, including being named one of the top airports globally and in North America in both the Airports Council International’s (ACI) Airport Service Quality Awards and Skytrax World Airport Awards. Billy Bishop Airport has also been ranked as the fourth Best International Airport by Condé Nast Traveler and has ranked top ten on Private Fly’s list for Most Scenic Airport Approaches in the world for five consecutive years.
The 2018 Billy Bishop Airport Master Plan is available in English and French on the PortsToronto website, and on the project website: www.BillyBishopAirportMasterPlan2018.com. The project website also includes additional information such as a FAQ section that details questions and answers presented at the public meetings as well as presentations and resource material.
For more information on the awards, click here.
