Launching today and throughout next week, passengers travelling through Billy Bishop Airport will now have a range of high-quality food, beverage and shopping experiences to enjoy in the newly renovated airport lounges. Passengers can experience locally-inspired flavours and products in three new restaurants and three new retail stores that will be located in the domestic and transborder lounges.

“Billy Bishop Airport is loved by travellers because it offers a unique travel experience that is based in convenience, accessibility and friendly service. Now, passengers will have another reason to love the airport with our new high-quality and locally inspired food, beverage and shopping options. Based on consumers’ request for greater food and shopping options, we are committed to fulfilling the needs of the airport’s 2.8 million passengers who will be sure to enjoy these new amenities each year.” – Neil Pakey, CEO of Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners GP

Nieuport Aviation’s newly designed lounges will offer more space, comfort and a modernized, contemporary environment, as well as new comfortable seating and improved business stations that will enhance an already exceptional passenger experience.

“As the owners of Billy Bishop Airport, PortsToronto has made significant investment in infrastructure such as the pedestrian tunnel and a modernized airfield, to ensure operational efficiency and maximum convenience for passengers. We are pleased to see comparable investment within the passenger lounges that will broaden the food and service offering, enlarge the footprint and seating within the lounges, and accommodate our travelers desire for enhanced amenities in the lounges. Billy Bishop Airport regularly wins praise and awards for its service offering and that offering is about to get even better.” – Geoffrey Wilson, CEO of PortsToronto

The new restaurants – OBISPO, Balzac’s Coffee Roasters and Market@416 – will be managed by SSP Canada and will feature menus that showcase local vibrant flavours reflective of the city and region. Renowned Toronto-based Chef Grant van Gameren was pleased to have been brought on board by SSP to help create the menu and direction for a brand created specifically for YTZ’s OBISPO, inspired by travellers’ desire for delicious, health-conscious, easy grab-and-go meals. Van Gameren and the SSP team developed a simple menu of hot sandwiches, well-crafted flatbreads, an impressive array of antipasto dishes and garden-healthy salads that emphasize fresh, wholesome ingredients with a few guilty pleasures.

“We created a menu that was as quick and convenient as the airport itself. There is something for everyone, with a focus on fresh, delicious food that can be prepared and consumed quickly and that is portable enough to be taken on your flight. And, at the end of the day, everyone loves a good sandwich.” – Chef van Gameren

Additional menu items at other concessions include options such as BBQ wings, pot stickers, “Street Tacos”, Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, a “BBQ Carnita Torta”, “haute dawgs”, as well as breakfast items such as a Downtown Benedict, Calabrese Flatbread, Steel Cut Oatmeal. Passengers can indulge in beer on draft, in bottles or cans, and a selection of wine.

Balzac’s Coffee Roasters will be a welcome brand for locals who already know Balzac’s for its thirteen locations in and around Toronto, including the iconic Distillery District location. Delivering coffee roasted in Ancaster, Ontario, and milk sourced only from regional dairies, Balzac’s defines local. From neat espressos to Americanos, to café mochas and café au lait, Balzac’s offers speed and sophistication. In addition to a variety of sweet and savory breakfast items, all baked locally, Balzac’s offers a variety of breakfast panini and a wide variety of sandwiches and salads throughout all day parts.

“SSP Canada is honored to partner with the YTZ team to build a fresh, new portfolio of brands tailored to the YTZ passenger. We look forward to helping YTZ passengers explore the new offerings and to being part of the YTZ community,” – Pat Murray, Executive Vice President of SSP Canada

The new retail locations – Toronto City Duty Free, City Island Market and Island Market -operated by Hudson Group, will carry an assortment of travel essentials and luxury items, which include local favourites from The Chocolateria, North Standard Trading Post, Red Canoe, The Art Gallery of Ontario, Wildly Delicious, and more.

“Billy Bishop Airport is an international gateway into the heart of Toronto, which now offers travelers a unique shopping experience pre and post flight. The addition of our locally inspired travel essentials and duty-free concepts will drive passenger excitement and support PortsToronto and Nieuport Aviation in their commitment to providing visitors with a world-class travel experience.” – Joseph DiDomizio, president and chief executive officer of Hudson Group

Nieuport Aviation’s terminal upgrades are expected to bring more than 100 new jobs to Billy Bishop Airport, home to two world-class, award-winning commercial carriers, Porter Airlines and Air Canada.

Check out the products on Twitter at @Nieuport or #foodonthefly.

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