TORONTO — Travellers through Toronto Pearson faced delays after the airport's Apron Management Unit (AMU) Tower was evacuated on Tuesday evening due to reports of smoke, CBC News reports. The AMU oversees aircraft movement on the aprons around the terminals, so an evacuation there ripples quickly into gate and departure sequencing.
The airport said staff have since returned and resumed operations, but an air traffic management initiative remains in effect, resulting in delays to arriving and departing flights. Passengers were advised to check their flight status directly with their airline before heading to the airport.
The disruption lands on a busy fall travel day: Pearson said it was expecting around 150,000 travellers on Wednesday, arriving from 45 countries and departing to 44. It also overlaps with planned Terminal Link Train maintenance running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which the train operates on single-train service with shuttle buses available between Terminals 1 and 3 and Viscount Station.
No cause for the smoke reports was given in the airport's updates. Travellers with Wednesday flights through Pearson should build in extra time, monitor their airline's app for gate and departure changes, and use the shuttle buses at T3 Arrivals (Column 5), T1 Ground Level (Zone 1) and the Viscount Station pick-up curb while the Link Train work continues.
