← Home / Airports / Canada

Data source: OurAirports (2026-09-01 Snapshot) · Methodology & Verification →

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Compiled by Bill Gao

Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

IATA: YYZ ICAO: CYYZ

Longest Active Runway

11,120 ft

3,389 meters

Field Elevation

569 ft

173 m MSL

Runway Inventory

5 active

Lighted / Paved

Coordinates & Class

43.6759°, -79.6294°

LARGE AIRPORT

🏆

Multi-Universe Rankings & Statistical Standing

How ranks work →

RunwayFacts Published Dataset

tied #347 of 650

In curated primary commercial index

Global Commercial Universe

#559 of 7558

Top 7.4% percentile worldwide

For airports with equal runway length, the worldwide order does not indicate a length difference.

National Standing (Canada)

#3 of 8 in CA

#6 of 411 in full national registry

vs Large Airport Median

+11.2%

Compared to 10,000 ft baseline

💡 YYZ in numbers: 11,120 ft longest runway · tied #347 of 650 published · #559 of 7,558 worldwide (top 7.4%) · #3 in Canada.

🛫

Editorial Aerodrome Deep Dive: Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

Curated Aerodrome Profile

Toronto Pearson International Airport is Canada's primary commercial aviation hub. Its five-runway geometry offers exceptional operational flexibility, allowing air traffic control to switch runway alignments seamlessly when winter Arctic blizzards bring severe crosswinds. Both Runway 05/23 and 15L/33R exceed 11,000 ft, supporting heavy Air Canada international widebody departures to Europe, South America, and Asia.

Runway Layout & Magnetic Alignments

Five active runways: east-west parallel pair 05/23 (11,120 ft) and 06L/24R (9,697 ft) / 06R/24L (9,000 ft), plus north-south crosswind pair 15L/33R (11,050 ft) and 15R/33L (9,088 ft).

Expansion Milestones & Predecessor Facilities

Opened in 1939 as Malton Airport. Rebuilt with Terminal 1 (Aeroquay One) in 1964 and revolutionized by the new Terminal 1 complex in 2004; named after former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson in 1984.

Regional Differentiation & Cluster Role

Canada's busiest commercial aerodrome, operating alongside Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ, 11 NM southeast) which is restricted to regional turboprops.

Data Nuances & Operational Quirks

Operates the world's most sophisticated centralized aircraft de-icing facility (CDF), capable of de-icing up to 12 widebody aircraft simultaneously during severe Canadian winter storms.

📚 Official Aerodrome Sourcing: Transport Canada & NAV CANADA · Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) & NAV CANADA AIP

Verification Methodology →

🔬 Operational & Aerodrome Engineering Comparative Analysis

Longest runway ≥10,500 ft

⛰️

Elevation & National Context

Lowland Aerodrome (<2,000 ft)

YYZ lies at 173 m (569 ft), #266 of 650 published airports by elevation and 53.7 percentile among 7,558 worldwide. It is 46 ft above the Canada median (523 ft, 8 airports); YYC is highest at 3,557 ft, 2,988 ft higher than YYZ.

🧭

Regional Density & Alternates (100 NM)

0 Qualifying Aerodromes in Vicinity

No published neighbour with a paved runway of 5,000 ft or more within 100 NM of YYZ. Nearest published airport: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), 168 NM, 9,953 ft (1,167 ft shorter than YYZ); 4 within 250 NM.

✈️

Runway Inventory & National Standing

Primary Runway: 11,120 ft (3,389 m)

YYZ runways: 05/23 11,120 × 200 ft asphalt (asp), concrete (conc); 15L/33R 11,050 × 200 ft asphalt (asp); 06L/24R 9,697 × 200 ft asphalt (asp); 15R/33L 9,088 × 200 ft asphalt (asp); 06R/24L 9,000 × 200 ft asphalt (asp). National standing: #3 of 8 in Canada; YYC leads by 2,880 ft (14,000 ft). +11.2% vs the 10,000 ft baseline.

🛫 Physical Runway Inventory & Surface Engineering

Runway Designator	Length (ft / m)	Width (ft / m)	Surface Material	Lighting	Status
05/23	11,120 ft (3389 m / 3.389 km)	200 ft (61m)	`Asphalt (ASP), Concrete (CONC)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
15L/33R	11,050 ft (3368 m / 3.368 km)	200 ft (61m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
06L/24R	9,697 ft (2956 m / 2.956 km)	200 ft (61m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
15R/33L	9,088 ft (2770 m / 2.770 km)	200 ft (61m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
06R/24L	9,000 ft (2743 m / 2.743 km)	200 ft (61m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active

🛡️ Source: OurAirports Open Aviation Database, snapshot 2026-09-01 · Provenance →