Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport raises more than $60,000 for Hope Air
Haul for Hope Plane Pull at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport raises more than $60,000 for Hope Air
The final count is in! The first ever Haul for Hope plane pull at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport raised $61,125 in support of Hope Air’s mission of providing families in need, from coast to coast, with the travel and accommodations needed to access medical care far from home.
While medical treatment in Canada is free, receiving medical care also comes with a high cost for those who must travel a long distance to receive care. If not for the support of Hope Air, 37 per cent of patients in Ontario would travel by bus or car four to 12 or more hours each way to reach their medical appointment, and 28 per cent would postpone or cancel their appointment. For many patients, flying is the only viable option. Hope Air flights are a vital part of accessing essential medical care.
On Saturday, September 23, Haul for Hope teams had the rare opportunity to experience Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport like they never have before, as they challenged themselves to pull a Porter Airlines De Havilland Dash 8-400 in support Hope Air patients across Canada. That morning, teams gathered for a kick off breakfast and were shuttled across the runway to the event area – Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s Ground Run Up Enclosure – where warm up activities, a DJ and volunteer pilots and aircraft had been set up to keep spirits flying high as teams cheered each other on.
With the downtown Toronto skyline providing a dramatic backdrop, 14 teams raced against the clock to pull a 37,000-pound Porter Airlines plane by hand. The winning teams were Infinite, Plusgrade and Nieuport Aviation – all with record pull times under 40 seconds.
Quotes
“We were pleased to join partners across the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport ecosystem to support Hope Air during this year’s Haul for Hope. It was a great time, but more importantly it was an important reminder that over and above the business and tourism activity that Toronto’s downtown airport facilitates, we’re playing an absolutely critical role in connecting people to life-saving medical care that they would not otherwise be able to access. Congratulations to all the teams that participated for their fundraising activities, and congratulations to Hope Air for the support it offers to the thousands of patients from across 420 communities in Canada.”
“Porter is a long standing supporter of the incredible work that Hope Air does. It was great to see so many of our team members join others who came out and pulled their weight to help raise funds for this fantastic charity. It’s an honour to help Hope Air connect patients in remote communities and access much needed medical treatments.”
“We are delighted with the fundraising results of our first ever Haul for Hope plane pull event held at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport this year. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has been an incredibly committed partner since 2000, having supported over 10,300 trips and 1300 patients travelling through the airport. This year, we have seen a 100% increase in demand of our services and, with the fundraising results of Haul for Hope that included teams from Nieuport, Porter and Billy Bishop, we are able to apply these funds to helping even more patients than last year.”
“Hope Air supports thousands of travel arrangements for Canadians needing access to medical care each year, many of whom travel through Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to access care on nearby University Avenue. This, in addition to the Ornge medevac base which operates approximately 4,000 medevac flights each year to/from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, have made us very aware of how important it is to maintain these important connections. Seeing these teams pull together for such an important cause is truly inspiring.”
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is an award-winning gateway to Canada’s largest city, offering unmatched convenience just minutes from downtown Toronto. Serving passengers since 1939, the airport provides service to more than 20 cities across Canada and the U.S., with connections to more than 100 global destinations through its airline partners, and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Preclearance facility opening soon.
Renowned for its accessibility, stunning skyline views and 98% passenger satisfaction rating, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport supports critical regional services, including medical travel and medevac operations through Ornge. It is also a key economic driver, supporting more than 4,000 jobs (2,000 directly associated with its operations) and generating approximately $2 billion annually for the regional economy.
Committed to sustainability, the airport is a three-time recipient of the Airports Council International–North America’s Environmental Achievement Award and is certified under Level 1 Airport Carbon Accreditation.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is owned and operated by PortsToronto. Nieuport Aviation is the terminal partner and operates the airport’s complimentary shuttle service to and from downtown Toronto.