Toronto Pearson Terminal 1 and 3 Revitalization

North America’s airport building boom isn’t only a U.S. story. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority has awarded contracts for a roughly C$1.5 billion (about US$1 billion) revitalization of Terminals 1 and 3 at Toronto Pearson, the continent’s second-busiest international gateway, with PCL Construction leading the build and NORR working alongside DIALOG on design.

Project Scope
The program covers upgrades across both terminals, part of Pearson’s larger multi-year capital plan to add capacity and modernize aging facilities as passenger traffic climbs back past pre-2020 peaks. PCL Construction, whose U.S. operations are among the busiest aviation builders on the continent, is handling construction. The work will phase around live terminal operations, one of the hardest constraints in airport construction, where crews rebuild around passengers who never stop moving through the space.

Why It Matters
Airport construction is having a record run, and the drivers are the same on both sides of the border: deferred maintenance, capacity ceilings, and a passenger rebound that outpaced the terminals built to hold it. Pearson is a hub for the whole region, so its throughput ripples across dozens of connecting markets. A billion-dollar terminal revitalization also feeds a specialized contractor pool, the firms that know how to sequence work airside without shutting gates. The project keeps that expertise busy and signals that the aviation capital wave still has years to run.

Project Team & Details