Buttonville Municipal Airport or Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport is a medium-sized airport in the neighbourhood of Buttonville in

Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...

, Canada, north of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. It is operated by Torontair. Due to its proximity to

's suburbs, there are several strict noise-reduction procedures for

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

using the airport, which is open and staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In 2014, Buttonville was Canada's 20th busiest airport by aircraft movements. There is also a weather station located at the airport. The airport is classified as an

airport of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internat ...

Nav Canada Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act ...

and is serviced by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a call-out basis from Oshawa Executive Airport during weekdays and

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as ''Port George VI Island Airport'' and ''Toronto ...

during weekends. CBSA officers at this airport handle

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers.

History

Fred F. Gillies was the operator of Buttonville Airport and Gillies Flying Service starting in 1953 until he retired in 1958. Buttonville Airport began to really grow as a grass airstrip in 1953 when Leggat Aviation moved its operations from

Barker Field Barker Field was one of several airfields in the Yorkdale area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Opened in 1927, it was a civilian and privately owned airfield for the early era of flying in Canada and was named after William George Barker in ...

in Toronto. The airstrip became an official airport in 1962. The airport is located in the community and former

police village A police village was a form of municipal government that was used in the province of Ontario, Canada in the early 19th century if the finances or the population of an area did not permit the creation of a village. Formation In the early 19th Centu ...

Buttonville, Ontario Buttonville is a suburban planned neighbourhood from a former police village in the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada, west of the larger Unionville neighbourhood. the former hamlet and police village named after its founder, John Button. About ...

, which is named for settler John Button. Part of the airport property is located on land once held by Button.

New air traffic control tower

On January 17, 2006,

announced plans for the construction of a new air traffic control tower at Buttonville Airport. It is located at the south end of airport next to FlightExec offices on Allstate Parkway. The new tower, representing an investment of over $2 million, replaced the existing facility, which was built in 1967 and had reached the end of its useful life. Construction began in the fall of 2006 and became fully operational on June 26, 2007. The new tower provided expanded operational space, optimal visibility and the latest in air navigation equipment and technology for 10 air traffic controllers and one support staff who provided service to 84,000 aircraft movements per year at Buttonville Airport. It is located on the south side of the airport – the opposite side of the old tower. The new tower was designed and built using a modular design enabling the facility to be relocated in the future. New equipment and technology include the Nav Canada Auxiliary Radar Display System and the company's state-of-the-art voice communications switch. NAV Canada shut down operations of the air traffic control tower on January 3, 2019. Piper PA44-180 aircraft

Future

In September 2009, the Sifton family, owners of the airport, announced plans to re-develop the airport from 2009 to 2016 into a mixed use of commercial, retail and residential development. In the meantime the airport will continue to operate and unknown plans for the airport operations to re-locate to another GTA airport or cease operations altogether. On 28 October 2010, a press release announced that a joint real estate venture had purchased the 170-acre property on 7 October, which will be re-developed by

Cadillac Fairview The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited is a Canadian company that invests in, owns, and manages commercial real estate, mainly in Canada and the United States. As of March 2017, the company had 73 properties, encompassing 38 million square feet ...

. Plans include condominiums, retail shops, and office space. Due to planning delays, in 2018 Cadillac Fairview announced the site will continue to operate as an airport until at least 2023. Buttonville Airport is privately owned, and is threatened with closure due to lack of funds. GTAA has stopped funding the airport causing a $1.5 million loss. GTAA blames the decrease of traffic at

Pearson Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the su ...

for eliminating the subsidy. Transport Canada has not yet made a decision on the

Pickering Airport The Pickering Airport Lands were expropriated in 1972 by the Government of Canada with the intention of building a second international airport to serve the city of Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden H ...

project.

Navigation

There are three non-precision

instrument approach In aviation, an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP) is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules from the beginning of the initial approach to a landi ...

es available: a

Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

(GPS) approach to runway 33, a

non-directional beacon A non-directional beacon (NDB) or non-directional radio beacon is a radio beacon which does not include directional information. Radio beacons are radio transmitters at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. NDB are i ...

(NDB) approach to runway 21, and a

localizer An instrument landing system localizer, or simply localizer (LOC), is a system of horizontal guidance in the instrument landing system, which is used to guide aircraft along the axis of the runway. Principle of operation In aviation, a localiz ...

approach to runway 15.

Radio

Buttonville Airport is in a Class E control zone. Aircraft must broadcast their intentions on the mandatory frequency 124.8 MHz prior to entering the control zone. Afterwards standard uncontrolled aerodrome position reports must be broadcast. The

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Flight Information Centre Flight Information Centres (FICs) are centres employing flight service specialists responsible for the management and dissemination of flight safety related information operated by Nav Canada. Nav Canada's FIC and flight service stations (FSS) use ...

has a Remote Communications Outlet at the airport operating on the frequency 123.15 MHz. Toronto Terminal handles

instrument flight rules In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fly ...

(IFR) arrivals and departures and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight following on 133.40 MHz. Flightline is available on 123.50 MHz.

Navigation aids

There are three ground-based navigation aids attached specifically to the Buttonville airport: *a

distance measuring equipment In aviation, distance measuring equipment (DME) is a radio navigation technology that measures the slant range (distance) between an aircraft and a ground station by timing the propagation delay of radio signals in the frequency band betwee ...

(DME) on channel 48 (111.1 MHz) with the identifier "IKZ", located on the airfield *a localizer for runway 15 on the frequency 111.1 MHz

Airport operating restrictions

* No practice circuits outside of YKZ Control Tower hours of operation * No practice IFR approaches outside YKZ Control Tower hours of operation * No practice Engine Failure on Take Off procedure (EFTO) in the YKZ Positive Control Zone * No touch and go circuits by excessively noisy aircraft It has been agreed with the airport and the City of Markham that no circuit practice will occur between the hours of 1600h (4:00pm) and 2000h (8:00pm) during all

long weekend A long weekend is a weekend that is at least three days long (i.e. a three-day weekend), due to a public or unofficial holiday occurring on either the following Monday or preceding Friday. Many countries also have four-day weekends, in which ...

holidays.

Tenants

* 680 News Traffic Unit * Air BP – aviation fuel supplier (100DLL and A-1) * Air Partners Incorporated – maintenance * Aviation Unlimited – parts and aircraft sales distributor for Piper, Diamond, Mooney and Columbia * Buttonville Flying Club * CFMJ-AM, 640 AM Richmond Hill * Canadian Flyers flight training school * CFTO-CTV News/Traffic Air Unit (C-FCTV) *

CHFI-FM CHFI-FM (98.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Rogers Sports & Media, it broadcasts an adult contemporary format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. The studi ...

, 98.1 FM Toronto Traffic Unit (shared with 680 News) *

Corus Entertainment Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Onta ...

Toronto Traffic Unit *

Druxy's Druxy's is a Canadian chain of quick service delicatessen restaurants with 48 locations across the country. They offer a wide selection of sandwiches made with various meats on an assortment of breads. They are privately owned and were founded in ...

Famous Deli * High Tech Avionics and Instruments – avionics and instrument supplies * Image Air Charter Limited * Leggat Aviation Ltd. – an authorized Cessna dealership that specializes in new aircraft sales, full service and parts supply *

Million Air Million Air is a privately held aviation company that operates fixed-base operators (FBOs) in North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, . It is headquartered in the United States in Houston, Texas, and was founded in 1984. History Mi ...

– an executive air charter * Sugu Drone Training *

Toronto Police Service The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police ser ...

– Cessna 206H (C-FZRR) * TruFinancial Consultants – tailor-made investment strategy, estate and financial planning services *

York Regional Police The York Regional Police (YRP) are a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the York Region of Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto. YRP was formed in 1971 from the police forces maintained by the nine municip ...

– operating base for the Air2 (C-GYRP), the force's helicopter

Seneca College Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a multiple-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada regions. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate an ...

's aviation campus was once at Buttonville and re-located to Peterborough Airport in 2014 after having been in Markham for over 45 years. The remaining tenants will either relocate to other airports near Toronto or cease operations.

Ground transportation

The airport is accessible to public transit via

York Region Transit York Region Transit (YRT) is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road. YRT operates 65 full-time, rush hour and limited routes, 35 school services, and six Viva bu ...

Route 16 (16th Avenue) which runs along the north side of the airport. It is within walking distance of the

Route 24 stop at Woodbine Avenue and 16th Avenue. There are no direct connections with

GO Transit GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...

. Airport users can park their vehicles for free at the airport parking area on the north side. Parking lots along Renfrew Drive are reserved for airport tenants. Taxis and limousines within the Greater Toronto Area can drop off and pickup passengers. The airport is located next to

Highway 404 The following highways are numbered 404: Australia - Victoria Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 404 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 404 * Ontario Highway 404 Costa Rica * National Route 404 Israel * Route 404 (Israel) Japan * Japan N ...

with connections to nearby

407 __NOTOC__ Year 407 ( CDVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Honorius and Theodosius(or, less frequently, year 1160 ' ...

, with

401 __NOTOC__ Year 401 ( CDI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vincentius and Fravitus (or, less frequently, year 1154 ' ...

to the south and

400 __NOTOC__ Year 400 ( CD) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Aurelianus (or, less frequently, year ...

to the west.

Incidents

On 25 May 2010, a

Cirrus SR22 The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built from 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a more powerful, 310-horsepo ...

4-seater plane crashed on the roof of a building just from the airport in Markham (Woodbine Avenue near Apple Creek Boulevard). The pilot and a passenger died in the crash; however, nobody on the ground was seriously hurt. Markham Fire and Emergency Services crews quickly doused the flames; rescue crews were not able to go on top of the building to reach the plane due to possibility of structural collapse. On 20 June 2010, an accident occurred just off Buttonville Airport. A black four-seater banner-towing Cessna 172K Skyhawk, registration C-GQOR, crashed on Vogell Road near the intersection of Highway 404 and 16th Avenue in Richmond Hill. The pilot, the aircraft's only occupant, was killed in the crash. On 18 November 2010, a Beech 33, tail number C-GSCZ, with a

flight instructor and two students crashed in a field in Pickering, Ontario (near Whitevale Road and North Road). All occupants died in the crash. On 12 July 2018, a pilot was killed in a

Bellanca AviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft design and manufacturing company. Prior to 1983, it was known as the Bellanca Aircraft Company. The company was founded in 1927 by Giuseppe Mario Bellanca, although it was preceded by p ...

8KCAB when it crashed in a field near the airport (southwest area of airport in Markham). On 27 February 2020, a

Dassault Falcon 50 The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French super-midsize, long-range business jet, featuring a trijet layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined Falcon ...

, tail number N951DJ, was set on fire late at night. A fence was cut through and a gas can was found at the scene. The aircraft, parked outside near a hangar, was written off, damaged beyond repair. The fire is considered arson. On 10 August 2021, a Canadian Flyers International Inc.

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.York Regional Police The York Regional Police (YRP) are a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the York Region of Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto. YRP was formed in 1971 from the police forces maintained by the nine municip ...

drone. Nobody was injured, but the plane received significant damage. The Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System report classified the accident as "unauthorized entry" to controlled airspace.

Support

The airport had one

aircraft rescue and firefighting Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is a type of firefighting that involves the emergency response, mitigation, evacuation, and rescue of passengers and crew of aircraft involved in aviation accidents and incidents. Airports with schedule ...

unit (ARFF), a Walter RIV 2000, parked against the fence along Renfrew Drive, but it was retired and no longer visible at the airport. Fire and rescue at the airfield is now provided by Markham Fire and Rescue Stations 9-2 (10 Riviera Drive near Woodbine and 14th Avenue) or 9-3 (Woodbine Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive East).

References

External links

Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport
{{authority control Certified airports in Ontario Airports established in 1953 Transport in the Regional Municipality of York Buildings and structures in Markham, Ontario 1953 establishments in Ontario