Quarterly civil aviation statistics, first quarter 2024
Released: 2024-08-23
Highlights
Operating revenue for the 24 largest Canadian air carriers totalled $8.3 billion in the first quarter of 2024, up 8.1% compared with the same quarter of 2023.
At $7.2 billion, passenger revenue remained the main revenue source for airlines in the first quarter of 2024, while air cargo generated $522.3 million in revenue.
In the first quarter, Canadian carriers transported 22.0 million passengers on scheduled and charter services.
Operating revenue continues to climb
During the first quarter, operating revenue for the 24 largest Canadian air carriers (Levels I and II) totalled $8.3 billion, 8.1% higher than the first quarter of 2023 and 25.3% higher than the same quarter of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
At $7.2 billion, passenger revenue represented 87.2% of total operating revenue in the first quarter of 2024. Cargo revenue was $522.3 million, representing 6.3% 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
On the other side of the ledger, total operating expenses were $8.3 billion in the first quarter of 2024, 5.8% higher than in the first quarter of 2023 and 28.8% higher than the same quarter in 2019.
Chart 2
Operating revenue and expenses, Canadian air carriers
Other operating expenses, such as depreciation and maintenance, accounted for the largest share (51.5%) of total operating expenses in the first quarter of 2024, followed by turbo fuel (25.1%) and wages, salaries and benefits (23.3%).
Progressively rising traffic flows
The 24 Canadian air carriers transported 22.0 million passengers in the first quarter, 21.5 million on scheduled flights and 436,000 on chartered flights. While this represents an increase of 7.3% from the same quarter of 2023, it was 5.4% lower than the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
In the first quarter of 2024, there were 8.8 million passengers on domestic routes and 13.1 million international passengers. Among the international passengers, 5.4 million had taken transborder flights (between Canada and the United States) and 7.8 million were carried on other international flights.
Chart 3
Passengers carried, by sector, Canadian air carriers
Scheduled (non-charter) traffic was 57.5 billion passenger-kilometres in the first quarter, while capacity was 68.0 billion available seat-kilometres, resulting in a load factor of 84.7%. This was slightly above the 82.3% load factor of the same quarter in 2019.
Chart 4
Passenger load factor, Canadian air carriers
Did you know we have a mobile app?
Download our mobile app and get timely access to data at your fingertips! The StatsCAN app is available for free on the App Store and on Google Play.
Note to readers
This release covers Canadian Level I and II air carriers. The number of air carriers remained 24 in 2024; however, one Level II air carrier was reclassified to Level I.
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.
Survey data are revised on a quarterly basis to reflect new information.
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).
- Date modified: