Why Toronto Airport Is Called YYZ and Named Pearson

YYZ is the IATA code for Toronto Pearson International Airport, which is named after Lester B. Pearson, Canada’s 14th prime minister. The airport was renamed for him on January 2, 1984. The letters do not abbreviate the name Pearson: YZ was the code of the telegraph station at Malton, Ontario, the community where the airport was built in the late 1930s.

How YYZ came from Malton

Airport location codes were adapted from codes already used by weather and telegraph stations. The telegraph station at Malton carried the code YZ, and the airport built next to it became YYZ. Toronto’s own telegraph station used TZ, which is why Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the island carries YTZ. The metropolitan code covering all Toronto airports is YTO.

These details are reported in the Wikipedia article on the airport, which cites aviation references. The airport authority’s own history page was not readable during checking, so the telegraph-station explanation rests on that secondary account.

The extra Y at the front is commonly said to mark a Canadian location, since many airports in Canada have codes beginning with Y. The sources checked do not document the reason, so it is described here as a common explanation rather than a confirmed rule.

The Malton airport

In 1937 the Government of Canada agreed to support two airports in the Toronto area. The Toronto Harbour Commission bought farmland near Malton, at a site called Elmbank, for an airport that was meant to serve as a backup to the downtown island airfield. The Malton site later replaced the island as the main airport for the region.

The opening date is given in two ways. The airport’s own account describes the first landing at Malton on August 29, 1938. Another account, repeated in tourism and encyclopedia sources, gives August 29, 1939, which appears to be the date of the first scheduled passenger service by a Trans-Canada Air Lines DC-3. Both dates are therefore reported here, with 1938 for the first landing and 1939 for scheduled service.

During the Second World War the site was used as RCAF Station Malton, in operation from 1940 to 1946, with several training schools.

From Toronto International to Pearson

In 1958 the municipal government of Toronto sold Malton Airport to the Government of Canada. It was renamed Toronto International Airport and placed under Transport Canada. One source dates that renaming to 1960 instead of 1958, and the discrepancy was not resolved from primary records.

The name Lester B. Pearson International Airport took effect on January 2, 1984. Pearson received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 and served as the 14th prime minister of Canada. The naming honored him, and it is the origin of the word Pearson in the airport’s name, not of the letters YYZ.

In 1996 the Greater Toronto Airports Authority took over management, operation, and control of the airport under a 60-year lease from Transport Canada, and the airport has since used the name Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Timeline

1937: land near Malton is acquired for a second Toronto-area airport.
August 29, 1938: first landing at Malton Airport, according to the airport.
August 29, 1939: date given elsewhere for first scheduled passenger service.
1940 to 1946: RCAF Station Malton operates on the site.
1958: the airport is sold to the federal government and renamed Toronto International Airport.
1964: Aeroquay 1, the first modern terminal, opens.
January 2, 1984: renamed Lester B. Pearson International Airport.
1996: the Greater Toronto Airports Authority takes over operations.

Codes of Toronto airports compared

Airport	IATA code	Reason for the code
Toronto Pearson International Airport	YYZ	Malton station code YZ with a prefix Y
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport	YTZ	Toronto station code TZ with a prefix Y
All Toronto airports (city code)	YTO	Metropolitan code for the Toronto area

Why the code never changed

The airport has had at least three names since it opened: Malton Airport, Toronto International Airport, and Lester B. Pearson International Airport. The code stayed YYZ through all of them because it was tied to the location of the Malton station, not to the name. Airlines, baggage systems, and flight schedules use the code, which is a practical reason to keep it stable when a name changes.

Frequently asked questions

Does YYZ stand for Pearson?

No. The Y and Z come from the Malton telegraph station code YZ with an added Y at the front.

When was the airport named after Lester B. Pearson?

On January 2, 1984, when it became Lester B. Pearson International Airport.

Why is the island airport YTZ?

Toronto’s telegraph station used the code TZ, and the same prefix pattern gives YTZ.

When did Malton Airport open?

The airport’s own history gives a first landing on August 29, 1938. Another source gives August 29, 1939 for the first scheduled passenger flight.

Last verified: October 2026

Sources

Greater Toronto Airports Authority, History of the Airport (page not readable during checking)
Wikipedia, Toronto Pearson International Airport and History of Toronto Pearson International Airport (secondary, used for the code and dates)
Nobel Prize records for Lester B. Pearson, 1957 Peace Prize (page not readable during checking)

Cite this page

APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). YYZ: Why Toronto Pearson Airport Has This Code. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/exploring-the-fascinating-history-behind-why-toronto-airport-is-called-yyz

MLA: “YYZ: Why Toronto Pearson Airport Has This Code.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/exploring-the-fascinating-history-behind-why-toronto-airport-is-called-yyz. Accessed .

Chicago: History of Toronto. “YYZ: Why Toronto Pearson Airport Has This Code.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/exploring-the-fascinating-history-behind-why-toronto-airport-is-called-yyz.

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