Welcome to the Virtual Toronto FIR!
The Toronto Flight Information Region (FIR) is responsible for approximately 125000 square nautical miles of airspace. Our neighbours include Winnipeg and Montreal FIRs, as well as Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Boston ARTCCs south of the international border. Due to our location between the Eastern seaboard and Central United States, we are home to one of the busiest air traffic corridors in Canada. Apart from the major airports like Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International and Hamilton's John C. Munro International which play an important role in driving the Canadian economy, there are numerous small to medium sized regional airports that serve as key links to communities throughout the Province of Ontario. The abundance of these regional airports also plays an important role for general aviation and training pilots.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide professional, courteous, and realistic Air Traffic Control (ATC) services for the Virtual Toronto Flight Information Region (CZYZ FIR) on the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network (VATSIM).
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport, also known as Lester B. Pearson International Airport or simply Toronto Pearson (IATA: YYZ, ICAO: CYYZ), is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada. It is the primary airport for the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration surrounding Toronto that is home to over one-quarter of the population of Canada. The airport is located in Mississauga, 27 km (17 mi) northwest of Downtown Toronto.
Pearson is the largest and busiest airport in Canada. In 2009, it handled 30.4 million passengers, and 407,724 aircraft movements. It is amongst the Top 35 busiest airports by total passenger traffic and is currently the world's 20th busiest airport by international passenger traffic and 20th busiest airport by aircraft movements. In 2006, the airport was selected as the best global airport by the UK-based Institute of Transport Management.
Lester B. Pearson International Airport is the primary hub for Air Canada, making it a major Star Alliance hub airport. It is also a hub for passenger airlines Air Canada Jazz, Air Georgian, Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines and WestJet, as well as cargo airline FedEx Express. The airport is operated by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) as part of Transport Canada's National Airports System and is one of eight Canadian airports with facilities for United States border preclearance.
An extensive network of daily non-stop domestic flights is operated from Toronto Pearson by several airlines to all major and many secondary cities across all Provinces of Canada. The airport also serves as an important North American global gateway, with 65 airlines providing service on routes to over 150 international destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
