Just the Facts

Interesting  facts about the operation of the Oshawa Executive Airport 

In response to community feedback, the following is a list of facts and limitations from the 2015-2019 airport business plan.

• The role of the airport is serve the City of Oshawa and the Region of Durham as a vital component of the transportation infrastructure supporting business and building community.
• The Oshawa Executive Airport is committed to operating the airport within the context of being a good community neighbour.
• The airport is operated and managed by Total Aviation & Airport Solutions on behalf of the City of Oshawa.
• The City has an operating and options agreement in place with the Federal Government, which requires that the City operate the airport until 2047.
• The City may close the airport prior to 2047 if the Pickering Airport is opened however, the airport may not close prior to 2033.
• The airport and former airport lands generates in access of $1.6 in property taxes annually and it has a net operating budget cost of approximately $130,000 a year.
• All airport users pay rent, user fees and other related airport fees consistent with industry practices.
• The 2015-2019 Airport Business Plan forecast that the annual aircraft movements would grow from a 10 year of average of 61,469 to 102,345 by 2019 and that there would be increased noise and traffic associated with the additional aircraft movements.
• In 2021, the total aircraft movements were 96,669.
• The airport will not sell or lease new airport lands for flight training purposes.
• The attraction of a scheduled airline service is not pursued or promoted.
• As part of any effort to address the impacts of the additional aircraft traffic on the community, it is critical to understand the legal framework. In this regard:
  • The City cannot unilaterally regulate or control the volume of aircraft traffic that can occur from the airport.
  • The City cannot unilaterally control or regulate the type of aircraft at the airport.
  • The City cannot unilaterally control or regulate.
  • The City cannot try to control or regulate the volume of aircraft traffic or the type of aircraft used by indirect means, such as the use of unreasonable fees or other unreasonable restrictions such as hours of operation, limiting access to taxiways and runways, etc.
  • The Federal Government has an onerous, expensive and time-consuming process that can be used to try to establish a noise abatement policy. The process does not guarantee success and the Federal Government will not implement any restrictions unless all parties agree. If possible, a local “homegrown” solution such as our noise and traffic management policy is considered a much quicker and better process.

• The Airport Management team, City of Oshawa leadership team and the Mayor and City Council have been very active on the airport file with a goal of restoring an appropriate balance between aircraft activity and the community. You can learn more about these efforts at https://www.oshawa.ca/business-and-investment/resources/airport/REPORT_DS-22-67.pdf