ELEVATING THE FUTURE OF URBAN AIR
TRAVEL
BUSINESS TIMES
NIEUPORT AVIATION
NIEUPORT AVIATION
NIEUPORT
AVIATION ELEVATING THE FUTURE OF URBAN AIR TRAVEL
Project by: Malvern Kandemwa
Words by: Michelle Duncan
Nieuport Aviation is the owner and operator of the passenger terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), one of Canada’s most distinctive and award-winning urban airports. As the terminal partner, the company plays a vital role in shaping the passenger experience for the airport’s 2–2.8 million annual travellers, ensuring smooth op-
erations, high service standards, and seamless connectivity between downtown Toronto and regional destinations.
Backed by institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Nieuport Aviation benefits from strong financial stability and long-term infrastructure expertise. This foundation enables the company to invest in terminal enhancements, customer-focused services, and operational improvements that support the airport’s continued growth. It runs under a long-term conces-
sion agreement with PortsToronto, which owns and manages the airport. This public-private partnership structure allows them to bring private-sector efficiency and capital investment into a publicly owned transport asset.
NIEUPORT AVIATION IS THE OWNER AND OPERATOR OF THE PASSENGER TERMINAL AT BILLY BISHOP TORONTO CITY AIRPORT
Jennifer Quinn is the Chief Executive Officer of Nieuport Aviation, appointed in early 2025 following the retirement of former CEO Neil Pakey. Her appointment marks a significant leadership transition for the company’s strategic direction, operational performance, and long-term development of one of Canada’s most distinctive aviation infrastructure assets. With a strong background in infrastructure, transportation, and complex stakeholder environments, she plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of urban air travel through her leadership of the passenger terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
As CEO, Jennifer Quinn handles overseeing all aspects of Nieuport
Aviation’s operations, including terminal management, capital investment, customer experience, and stakeholder engagement. Her leadership is defined by a clear focus on operational excellence, sustainability, and passenger-centric innovation.
She has positioned Nieuport as more than a traditional terminal operator—driving a strategy that integrates infrastructure performance with enhanced traveller experience. Under her guidance, the company continues to refine its role within a broader urban mobility ecosystem, ensuring that the airport stays efficient, accessible, and aligned with the needs of a modern city like Toronto.
Airports rarely inspire romance. For most travellers they are a conduit to something else—the family reunion, the business meeting, the return home, or the sights that await. Often, an airport is simply a means to an end.
Yet a small number of airports transcend that role and become destinations, whether through striking architecture, exceptional service, or unforgettable approaches and departures. Some are celebrated for service excellence, like Riyadh’s King Khalid International or Salt Lake City; others London City, Sydney’s Kingsford Smith, or Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak are prized for the dramatic views they reveal on take-off and landing.
Delivering Critical Infrastructure at Billy Bishop
Toronto City Airport
The Billy Bishop Airport connects people to Canada’s largest city and has helped transform Toronto’s Harbourfront into a gateway for national and international travelers. Looking to further enhance the travel experience at Billy Bishop Airport, Nieuport Aviation engaged Pomerleau to deliver the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Preclearance facility, an infrastructure project that improves passenger flow and supports the airport’s continued growth.
SHAPING THE FUTURE
Pomerleau played a key role in the construction of the United States Customs and Border Protection Preclearance (US CBP) facility at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
Officially opening in March 2026, the preclearance facility enables travelers to clear customs in Toronto instead of after their arrival in the US, simplifying the flying experience and getting passengers where they’re going, faster.
The Toronto region continues to expand, and Pomerleau is well-positioned to support this growth by providing much-needed infrastructure that will help the city attract continued investment that provides meaningful benefits and economic opportunities for residents and visitors alike.
The preclearance facility project complements the portfolio of airport work Pomerleau has delivered,
including construction projects at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ottawa International Airport, Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport, and the Quebec City International Airport.
As one of Canada’s largest construction companies, Pomerleau delivers buildings, civil engineering works, and major infrastructure projects using a collaborative and transparent approach. Pomerleau partners with clients across the country to build infrastructure that builds communities. The preclearance facility at Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport is a clear example of Pomerleau’s continued commitment to enabling growth and improving the communities where we live and work.
There are airports that marry enviable geography with world-class efficiency rare finds that delight travellers and spread by word of mouth. One such aviation unicorn is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ).
Situated on Toronto Island in the heart of Canada’s largest city, YTZ is celebrated for some of the world’s most scenic approaches and landings. On the ground, it pairs those dramatic vistas with exceptional service and operational speed, a combination reflected in many industry awards. Nieuport Aviation, as owner and operator of the passenger terminal, collaborates closely with airport owner PortsToronto in a public-private partnership that has produced a distinct passenger experience intimate, efficient, and unmistakably urban.
Each year, millions of travellers pass through YTZ, enjoying that rare and delightful combination of breathtaking scenery and seamless service. For passengers it’s a simple, memorable part of the journey; for the teams who design, run and support the terminal, it is the visible reward for meticulous planning, relentless diligence and a commitment to hospitality. The result is an airport experience that feels effortless to the traveller yet reflects the skill and care of many people working behind the scenes.
“In addition to running the terminal, Nieuport provides a popular complimentary shuttle between the airport and downtown. We drive economic growth by connecting travellers conveniently, delivering an exceptional passenger experience, and investing in our people, partnerships and the community.”
Nieuport’s statement captures the company’s dual focus: efficient, customer-centric operations and a broader civic role. The complimentary shuttle is a tangible convenience for passengers; the company’s investments in staff development, stakeholder collaboration and local engagement ensure the terminal functions as both an effective transport hub and a community asset. Together, these priorities reinforce YTZ’s reputation for seamless travel while supporting Toronto’s economic and social fabric. From terminal architects Scott Associates and Canadian builder Pomerleau to travel-retail operator Avolta, food-and-beverage partner SSP America, and a host of specialist contractors and service providers, the passenger terminal at YTZ is truly a collaborative achievement an integrated ecosystem where design, construction, retail, hospitality and operations come together to create a seamless, memorable traveller experience.
SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION AT YTZ
Nieuport is fully committed to partnering with airport stakeholders to achieve carbon neutrality and lead on sustainability, but to deliver the necessary innovations we need a new operating agreement that enables investment and change. The same technological advances that once focused on reducing travel times will now be harnessed to create a net-zero environment quieter, cleaner planes, smarter ground operations, and low-carbon fuels.
On Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters, the aviation sector is on the cusp of a major transformation, and
Nieuport intends to be at the forefront. With minimal transfer times, high public-transport usage, and passengers who can walk directly to downtown offices from their arrival gates, Billy Bishop City Centre Airport and other downtown airports are uniquely positioned to meet the economic and sustainability needs of progressive global cities like Toronto.
We already recognise the potential of sustainable aviation fuels: current biofuels can reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 80%, and next-generation fuels made from renewable biomass or waste streams such as used cooking oil are under development. Our present operating agreement restricts the types of commercial planes
permitted; to encourage greener, quieter planes alongside the dependable Q400s, we need the flexibility to broaden that fleet mix.
Nieuport is also collaborating with vendors and retail partners to advance their own ESG initiatives and is collaborating closely with PortsToronto to maximise airport sustainability. For the past decade YTZ has been powered by 100% renewable electricity from Bullfrog Power, and we have introduced more sustainable de-icing treatments to reduce impacts on local waterways. These steps show that, with the right regulatory framework and partnership, an urban airport can be both highly efficient and a leader in environmental stewardship.
SUSTAINABLE FLEET AND ZERO EMISSION AMBITION
Nieuport Aviation is electrifying its ground fleet. The new electric shuttle buses will replace diesel vehicles and are expected to reduce the airport’s carbon footprint by an estimated 4.6 metric tonnes of CO₂ per year. These zero-emission shuttles will be available to all passengers and will complement PortsToronto’s electric ferry service, strengthening a low-carbon connection between the terminal and downtown.
Sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen are the next frontier. Nieuport is in active discussions with a new carrier at YTZ, Boston-based Connect Airlines, which has signed
a letter of intent with Universal Hydrogen to retrofit up to 100 Dash 8 turboprops with hydrogen fuel conversion kits. That partnership could position Connect among the first carriers to run zero-emission hydrogen-fuelled planes, accelerating the decarbonisation of regional air travel.
Zero-emission airlines are the future of the industry. While fully electric and hydrogen-powered commercial planes stay a few years away, the trajectory is clear: fewer emissions, quieter operations, and more efficient cabins or, as Nieuport puts it, “cleaner, greener and quieter.”
Practical investments today, systemic change tomorrow. Focusing on what is controllable now,
Nieuport will invest to ensure the passenger terminal achieves carbon neutrality. For airlines, ongoing R&D into sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and hydrogen conversions will prioritise safety, reliability, and dramatically lower lifecycle emissions. Wider adoption of these fuels will also create new economic benefits—added revenue streams for farmers supplying bio feedstocks, improved plane performance, and the creation of green jobs across the supply chain.