New public opinion survey highlights overwhelming support for Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

PortsToronto today released new public opinion research that highlights Torontonians’ overwhelmingly positive opinions of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. According to the 2024 survey, conducted among more than 2,000 Toronto residents aged 18 years and older with an oversample of those living along Toronto’s Waterfront, 78% of respondents characterize their opinion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport as favourable. Further, satisfaction by those who use the airport has reached an all-time high of 98%.

The survey, conducted by Viewpoints Research, included weighting to ensure responses reflect the actual distribution of the population by age, gender, and region using Statistics Canada Census 2021 data. Results are consistent with past surveys commissioned by PortsToronto that have been undertaken every two years, with the last survey taking place in 2022. Key findings of the 2024 survey include:

• 77% of respondents agree that Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a valuable asset for Toronto and is an important gateway that supports business and tourism;
• 78% of respondents agree that it makes sense for Toronto to have an airport downtown;
• 72% of respondents agree that Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a good use of land;
• 85% of respondents agree that Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s environmental sustainability initiatives are important;
• Nearly 80% of respondents support the addition of new destinations from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport across Canada and the United States; and,
• 68% of passengers travel through the airport for leisure; 24% for business; and 6% combine their business and leisure travel.

Only 2% of those surveyed had a negative opinion of the airport, citing reasons such as lack of direct public transit options, fewer destinations serviced than other airports, and noise.

Looking to the future, 83% of respondents agree that the airport’s governing agreement should be updated so that Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport can continue to provide the connectivity upon which Torontonians depend. Full survey results are available here.

Methodology
Viewpoints Research conducted this online survey from March 15 to 28, 2024, among a random sample of 2,041 Toronto residents aged 18 years and older with an oversample of residents living along an area called the Waterfront. The Waterfront includes water’s edge communities spanning from Etobicoke to Scarborough.
The margin of error of this sample (n= 2,041) is +/- 2.17%. The margin of error is wider among subsets of some questions and crosstabulation breakouts. Data was weighted by region, gender and age using the 2021 Census to ensure that the sample is representative of Toronto’s population. Results are expressed as percentages unless otherwise noted, and response rates include the full sample unless otherwise noted. Results may not add to 100% due to rounding.

“By virtue of its location in the heart of Canada’s largest city, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport offers a level of convenience and efficiency for travellers that is truly unique, and in so doing provides innumerable benefits including connectivity, convenience, access to healthcare and support for the economy by enabling tourism and trade. This survey confirms the data we’ve collected from previous surveys and the feedback we hear regularly confirming that the vast majority of Torontonians love their downtown airport, and they see its continued operation as a vital part of the city’s bright future.”

“I extend my thanks to Torontonians for their strong support of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Recognition of the important role that the airport plays for the city, our community, and visitors is high among residents. Moreover, of those respondents who use Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, 98% rate their experience as positive—a strong indication that we’re providing passengers with the stellar travel experience they want and deserve.”

“As familiarity with Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport increases, it also continues to garner consistently high satisfaction ratings (98%), and this survey confirmed the highest level of awareness (81%) to date as compared to past surveys and the lowest level of dissatisfaction (2%). We also measured strong support for environmental initiatives, reflecting a community-wide preference toward modernization and sustainability.”