Toronto airport rated world's most improved

Toronto: Toronto's Pearson International Airport has been rated the 'Most Improved Airport' in the world by the international aviation industry.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) gave the '2010 IATA Eagle Award for Most Improved Airport' to the Toronto airport at a ceremony in Berlin on Monday.

The award is given each year to an airport for its outstanding performance in airline satisfaction, cost efficiency and continuous improvement.

As Canada's busiest airport, the Pearson International Airport handles more than 30 million passengers annually, with 74 international airlines operating from here.

Named after Canada's Nobel Peace Prize winning prime minister Lester Bowles Pearson, the Toronto airport is one of the busiest airports in the world.

Unlike other airports around the world, the Toronto airport has been continuously reducing landing and terminal charges from airlines for the past three years.

Just this January, it announced a further 10 percent cut in landing and terminal charges for international carriers, including Air India and Jet Airways which operate many weekly flights from here.

"This award recognizes the work we have done with our air carrier partners to make Toronto Pearson a more efficient and effective place for them to do business. This is only the beginning. We will continue to work closely with the air carriers to make Toronto Pearson as competitive as possible," said Lloyd McCoomb, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTTA) which looks after the airport.

Hailing the Canadian airport, Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of IATA, said, "Toronto Pearson must continue to lead the way in setting the standards for performance, cost efficiency and continuous improvements for others to strive for."

Calin Rovinescu, CEO of Air Canada, which uses the airport as its global hub, said, "Toronto Pearson is Air Canada's major hub... we firmly believe Toronto can be transformed into a leading global hub that will serve as both a major gateway to North America for international travellers and a connection point for flights to virtually anywhere in the world."