Screened passenger traffic at Canadian airports, May 2024
Released: 2024-06-25
4.6 million
May 2024
6.7% 
(12-month change)
Highlights
In May, 4.6 million passengers passed through pre-board security screening at checkpoints operated at Canada's eight largest airports, an increase of 6.7% from May 2023.
In May 2024, screened passenger traffic volumes came in 3.5% above the same month in 2019, ending a five-month run in which total passenger counts failed to surpass pre-COVID-19 pandemic volumes.
Transborder passenger traffic tops pre-pandemic levels
Transborder (to the United States) traffic in May 2024 was 14.6% higher than the same month in 2023, marking the first month that the number of passengers screened for transborder flights surpassed pre-pandemic levels, coming in 1.7% higher than in May 2019.
The other two travel sectors reached pre-pandemic levels in 2023: the domestic sector in May and the international sector (outside of the United States) in October.
International screened passenger traffic was also strong in May 2024—up 15.2% over May of last year—and continuing to exceed pre-pandemic levels, coming in 11.4% higher than May 2019.
The number of passengers screened for domestic flights was down (-1.2%) year over year in May 2024, albeit still 0.5% higher than in May 2019.
Chart 1
Number of screened passengers at the eight largest airports in Canada, monthly, 2019 to 2024
Passenger traffic increases at eight largest airports
In May 2024, each of Canada's eight largest airports posted higher volumes of passenger traffic year over year, with Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International posting a double-digit increase (+14.5%).
There were five airports that experienced higher screened passenger volumes in May 2024 than their pre-pandemic levels from May 2019. Notably, both Calgary International (+14.9%) and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (+12.1%) strongly exceeded their pre-pandemic volumes from May 2019.
Chart 2
Number of screened passengers at the eight largest airports in Canada, by sector, May, 2019 to 2024
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Note to readers
Data for this release are derived from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) Boarding Pass Security System and include screened traffic at pre-board security screening checkpoints at the eight largest airports in Canada.
The eight largest airports in Canada are Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International, Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International, Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International, Calgary International, Edmonton International and Vancouver International.
Screened passenger traffic includes air travellers required to go through pre-board security screening and excludes aircrew and airport employees. This data series is a different measure of traffic than the counts of enplaned or deplaned passengers published in Statistics Canada's annual Airport activity report or produced by the individual airports. For example, the screened passenger data will not account for passengers with connecting flights who did not pass through security. For more information, please refer to the "Related information" tab (Definitions, data sources and methods) for this release.
Users interested in accessing daily counts of screened traffic at Canada's major airports can obtain them from the CATSA website.
Contact information
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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