Quarterly civil aviation statistics, fourth quarter 2023
Released: 2024-05-28
Highlights
Total operating revenue in the fourth quarter reached $8.0 billion, up 13.0% compared with the fourth quarter of 2022.
Passenger revenue was $6.9 billion, while air cargo generated $525.1 million.
Canadian carriers transported 21.1 million passengers
Operating revenue continues growing gradually
During the fourth quarter, operating revenue for the 24 largest Canadian air carriers (Levels I and II) totalled $8.0 billion, 13.0% higher than in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 23.2% higher than in the fourth quarter of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Passenger revenue reached $6.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, representing 85.4% of total operating revenue. Cargo revenue was $525.1 million, representing 6.5% of the total operating revenue, which falls into the 5% to 7% range of revenue contribution observed prior to the pandemic.
Chart 1
Quarterly goods revenue, Canadian air carriers
Further, total operating expenses were $7.7 billion in the fourth quarter, 8.0% higher than in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 22.4% higher than in the same quarter of 2019.
Chart 2
Operating revenue and expenses, Canadian air carriers
Other operating expenses, such as depreciation and maintenance, accounted for the largest share (48.2%) of total operating expenses in the fourth quarter of 2023, followed by turbo fuel (28.5%) and wages, salaries and benefits (23.3%).
Traffic flows ascend
The 24 Canadian air carriers transported 21.1 million passengers in the fourth quarter, 20.5 million on scheduled flights and 605,000 on chartered flights. While this represents an increase of 12.2% from the same quarter of 2022, it was 2.4% lower than the pre-pandemic level reported in 2019.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, there were 10.1 million passengers on domestic routes and 11.0 million international passengers. Among the international passengers, 5.0 million had taken transborder flights (between Canada and the United States) and 6.0 million were carried on other international flights.
Chart 3
Passengers carried, by sector, Canadian air carriers
Scheduled (non-charter) traffic was 52.9 billion passenger-kilometres in the fourth quarter of 2023, while capacity was 64.1 billion available seat-kilometres, resulting in a load factor of 82.5%. This was slightly above the 81.1% load factor of the same quarter in 2019.
Chart 4
Passenger load factor, Canadian air carriers
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Note to readers
This release covers Canadian Level I and II air carriers. Because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, no air carrier level changes were applied for reference year 2023.
Level I air carriers include every Canadian air carrier that, in the calendar year before the year in which information is provided, transported at least 2 million revenue passengers or at least 400 000 tonnes of cargo.
Level II air carriers include every Canadian air carrier that, in the calendar year before the year in which information is provided, transported (a) at least 100,000, but fewer than 2 million, revenue passengers, or (b) at least 50 000 tonnes, but fewer than 400 000 tonnes, of cargo.
Net non-operating income and loss are from commercial ventures that are not part of the air transportation services, from other revenues and expenses attributable to financing or other activities that are not an integral part of air transportation, and from special recurrent items of a non-periodic nature. Provision for income taxes is also included. Non-operating income can be, for example, capital gains from the sale of aircraft, interest income and foreign exchange adjustment, while non-operating expenses can include capital losses and interest on bank loans and other debt.
Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
Data for the third quarter of 2023 have been revised.
Because of rounding, components may not add up to the total.
Contact information
For any questions pertaining to this revision, please contact statcan.transportationstatistics-statistiquesdutransport.statcan@statcan.gc.ca.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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