A Toronto taxi driver landed himself in trouble early Tuesday morning at Pearson Airport after driving his car into Terminal 1, prompting concerns about security.
An argument between the car driver and an associate boiled over, resulting in the cabbie allegedly driving his vehicle through the front door of the terminal building. The car made it through the doors and stopped inside the terminal building.
"I think the call came in about 3:25 a.m.," airport spokesperson Scott Armstrong said. "There was a vehicle ... that went through one of the doors at Terminal 1 on the departures level."
Emergency crews arrived on the scene quickly. No one was hurt in the incident. Armstrong said at that hour of the morning the terminal building was quiet with very few people around.
"It wasn't a busy time of day," Armstrong said.
A 36-year-old man was charged with mischief and dangerous driving in relation to the incident.
But the ease with which the car smashed through the doors has raised concerns about the building's security.
Officials said they are looking at erecting concrete barricades, similar to the ones outside the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto.
The incident comes just a day after news reports about security concerns highlighted by a 2005 report.
The report by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency based in Montreal, was given to Transport Canada. A heavily edited copy of the report was obtained by The Canadian Press.
Reviewers studied operations and security-related issues including passengers, baggage, in-flight measures, cargo and catering services.
Portions of the report were withheld under the Access to Information Act. But sections made available said that auditors found some training programs, such as those for aircraft operators and cargo-handling companies, were "not comprehensive and/or fully developed."
With a report from CTV's Alex Mihailovich
