Missed approaches and overshoots do not refer to the same events. When the pilot of an aircraft on an instrument approach cannot establish the required visual reference to the field, the pilot executes the missed approach procedure. Attributing the rate of missed approaches at City Center airport to safety issues ignores the simplest explanation: many if not all carriers operating into Pearson may not by law start an approach procedure if the reported weather minima do not permit a landing, and air carriers operate with eqipment that allows for landing in worse weather than the average general aviation aircraft. As a result, air carriers rarely experience missed approaches. On the other hand, general aviation aircraft tend to make missed approaches more frequently. In neither case does this reflect on the safety of the airport.

In any case, a focus on the safety of Toronto City Centre Airport misses the point. Airports do not offer perfect safety, and neither does anything else. The real question involves the safety of closing it down; and closing Toronto City Centre Airport down would create several significant safety problems. Most importantly, Toronto City Centre Airport functions as an important medical reliever airport; it accomodates the medical flights from places such as Iqaluit. Placing these in the Pearson approach sequenec would, for reasons related to the physics of flight, result in significant safety problems. So whatever the safety issues at Toronto City Centre Airport, and I note the airport has significantly fewer real safety challenges than you seem to think, closing it would create far more serious problems.

John Spragge