The nearest airport to downtown Toronto is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), on the Toronto Island a short walk from the waterfront. Toronto Pearson (YYZ), about 27 km away in Mississauga, is the main airport for most flights. Hamilton (YHM), Waterloo (YKF) and Buffalo (BUF) are alternatives an hour or more away, useful for particular fares, airlines or starting points.
The nearest airport to Toronto, and why "nearest" is only half the question
The nearest airport to Toronto's downtown core is Billy Bishop, on the island just off the foot of Bathurst Street. But the nearest airport to you depends on where in the region you live, and the best airport for a trip depends on where you are flying, who flies there and what it costs once you add the drive. A family in Burlington may be closer to Hamilton than to Pearson; a Niagara resident flying to Florida may look at Buffalo. This post compares the six airports within a realistic drive, with the transfer that makes each one work. For each airport's own page, our airports hub has the detail.
The airports around Toronto at a glance
| Airport | Code | Rough distance from downtown | Typical drive | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Bishop Toronto City | YTZ | Minutes from the core | 10–20 min in the city | Short-haul to Ottawa, Montreal, the US northeast |
| Toronto Pearson | YYZ | About 27 km | 25–45 min | Almost everything, long-haul and domestic |
| Hamilton John C. Munro | YHM | About 80 km | 60–80 min | Some leisure and low-cost routes, west-end residents |
| Region of Waterloo | YKF | About 110 km | 75–100 min | Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph travellers |
| Oshawa Executive | YOO | About 60 km | 45–70 min | Private and business aviation |
| Buffalo Niagara | BUF | About 160 km, plus a border | 2 hours or more | Some US domestic fares |
Distances and times are approximate road figures from downtown Toronto and vary with traffic and the border.
Billy Bishop (YTZ): the closest, for the right trips
Billy Bishop is the only airport where you can walk from a downtown office to the check-in desk in around 20 minutes. It sits on the Toronto Island and is reached through a pedestrian tunnel of about 260 metres with moving walkways, or by a short ferry, from the mainland terminal on Eireann Quay. Porter and Air Canada fly there, mostly on shorter routes; check Billy Bishop for current destinations. Cars drop at the mainland side. For a business traveller heading to Ottawa or Montreal from the Financial District, it saves an hour of each day. See our Billy Bishop airport page and the Billy Bishop airport transfer.
Toronto Pearson (YYZ): the default for good reasons
Pearson handles the large majority of flights in and out of the region: long-haul to Europe, Asia and South America, the busiest domestic routes, sun destinations and a wide US network with US preclearance on site, so US flights arrive as domestic ones. It is in Mississauga, about 27 km from downtown, 25 to 35 minutes off-peak by car and under half an hour on the UP Express from Union. For most people in Toronto, Peel, York and Halton, it is also the nearest airport with the flight they need. Our Toronto Pearson airport guide covers terminals, pickup and fares.
Hamilton (YHM): closer than you think for the west end
John C. Munro Hamilton International sits on the city's southern edge at Mount Hope. From Burlington, Stoney Creek or Niagara's western towns it can be nearer than Pearson, and its terminal is small, so the walk from car to gate is short. It is served by a changing mix of leisure and low-cost carriers, and schedules vary by season, so check Hamilton airport for what flies now. From Pearson, the sedan planning fare to Hamilton airport is $195 to $240, all-in plus HST. Our Hamilton airport page explains when it is worth it.
Region of Waterloo (YKF): for Kitchener, Waterloo and Guelph
The Region of Waterloo International Airport, at Breslau, serves Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph. Its route list is small and changes with the seasons, so it is useful when a flight you want happens to be there, and a real time-saver for tech-sector travellers who would otherwise drive 90 minutes to Pearson. Check Waterloo airport for current service. For most Toronto residents it is further than Pearson, not nearer. Our Waterloo airport page covers transfers; from the Kitchener-Waterloo area to Pearson, the sedan planning fare is $265 to $325.
Oshawa Executive (YOO): private aviation east of the city
Oshawa's airport is mainly a general aviation and business aviation field rather than an airport for scheduled airline travel. It matters to people chartering a private jet or flying a small aircraft, particularly executives based in Durham Region or heading east to cottage country. We meet private flights there as we do at Pearson's business aviation facilities, planeside where the operator allows. For scheduled flights, Durham residents still use Pearson, 45 minutes to over an hour away. See Oshawa Executive FBO and private jet and FBO transfers.
Buffalo (BUF): the cross-border alternative
Buffalo Niagara International is across the border in New York State, about 160 kilometres from downtown Toronto. Some Toronto travellers use it because US domestic fares from Buffalo are occasionally lower than flying from Canada. The real cost includes the drive, typically two hours or more depending on the border crossing, passports for everyone, and parking or a transfer. A booked sedan from Pearson to Buffalo airport has a planning figure of $390 to $480, all-in plus HST. Our post on the bus from Toronto to Buffalo airport vs a private transfer weighs the options, and Buffalo airport lists its airlines.
Niagara Falls NY and Detroit: the edge cases
Two more airports come up in searches. Niagara Falls International in New York (IAG) is a small airport with limited, mostly leisure service; check its schedule before planning around it. Detroit Metropolitan (DTW) is a major hub but about 370 kilometres from Toronto, closer to four hours by road, so it only makes sense for travellers already in Windsor or southwestern Ontario. We drive to both through our cross-border limo to the USA service, and the timings include the border.
Is it cheaper to fly from Buffalo than from Toronto?
Sometimes, but compare the total, not the ticket. Add the ground transfer both ways, or parking for the trip; the time, often four or five hours round trip including the border; the risk of a slow crossing on a holiday weekend; and the need for every traveller to hold a passport and any US entry documents. For a couple flying to Florida for a week, a fare saving can disappear once parking and two long drives are counted. For a family of five with a meaningful saving on five tickets, Buffalo can win. Price both before deciding.
Which airport is closest to you?
- Downtown core, waterfront, Liberty Village: Billy Bishop, then Pearson.
- Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, North York: Pearson.
- Scarborough, Markham, Durham: Pearson for scheduled flights, Oshawa for private aviation.
- Burlington, Hamilton, Grimsby: Hamilton or Pearson, depending on the airline.
- Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph: Waterloo if your flight is there, otherwise Pearson.
- Niagara Falls, St. Catharines: Pearson, Hamilton or Buffalo, depending on destination and passport.
Getting to the airport you choose
Every one of these airports is on our map. The reservation engine prices door-to-airport transfers at a fixed all-in fare with HST shown separately, and every airport pickup is flight-tracked. For arrivals, the chauffeur waits 60 minutes after an international landing and 30 after a Canadian or US one, from actual landing. At Pearson and the larger airports, the fare includes curbside pickup at the terminal's pre-arranged commercial pickup area; meet and greet inside is an optional add-on. For long runs, see long-distance car service.
Arriving at a smaller airport: what changes for the pickup
Smaller airports make the pickup simpler in some ways and trickier in others. At Hamilton and Waterloo, the walk from the gate to the curb is short and there is usually one arrivals door, so the chauffeur is easy to find. But flights are fewer, so a delay can push you into late evening, when a taxi rank may be empty; flight tracking and a booked car matter more, not less. At Billy Bishop, the car waits on the mainland side at Eireann Quay, so allow time for the tunnel or ferry before you reach it. At Buffalo, a Canadian-bound pickup also has to plan the border crossing back, which dispatch builds into the timing. Tell us which airport and flight when you book, and the reservation engine prices the exact run.
A worked example: a Burlington family choosing an airport
A family of four in Burlington is flying to Orlando in March Break. The options are Pearson, about 35 to 45 minutes away with a sedan planning fare of $150 to $190; Hamilton, closer, if a carrier happens to fly the route that week; and Buffalo, about 90 minutes away plus the border, with a sedan planning fare from Pearson's side of $390 to $480 as a guide to the distance involved. If Hamilton has a direct flight at a similar price, it wins on convenience. If not, Pearson's range of flights and US preclearance usually beats Buffalo once the drive, the border queue on a holiday weekend and four passports are counted. Buffalo only wins when the saving on four tickets is large. The lesson: compare door-to-door time and total cost, not the airfare alone.
Airports that no longer serve passengers
Older guides mention airports that are no longer options. Pearson's Terminal 2 has been gone for years. Buttonville, the small airport in Markham that once had commuter flights, has closed. Downsview, in North York, was an aircraft manufacturing and test airfield rather than a passenger airport. If a website or an old ticket suggests flying from any of these, it is out of date. For scheduled passenger flights near Toronto today, the realistic list is Billy Bishop, Pearson, Hamilton and Waterloo, plus Buffalo across the border.
