Region of Waterloo International Airport - YKF

[tomh009]

I'm always a bit skeptical of claims about capacity at major airports like Pearson.  There are ways to increase capacity without a new runway: bigger aircrafts on average, improvements in air traffic / ground control technology, moving some traffic earlier / later in the day, etc..  A lot of major airports are feeling these constraints so there are industry wide incentives to focus on these things.

Since we are getting back to the airport capacity discussion I'll respond to this one now.

Airports can't practically mandate aircraft sizes. Landing slot constraints have pushed some airlines to adopt much larger aircraft (A380, for example) but passengers also want higher frequencies so there is the parallel but opposite movement to downgauge, from the 777/747 size range to the 787/A330 range.

Air traffic control technology is overdue for an overhaul but it's a long-term project. FAA started the NextGen project over 10 years ago, and the first phase of implementation is not due until 2025. Full benefits will be seen maybe somewhere between 2030 and 2040 in the US -- Canadian equivalent is TBD.

Opening more slots in the early mornings or late nights may be feasible, but it's subject to constraints through noise regulations and also matching slots at the flight destinations (or origins).