Aircraft movement and civil aviation statistics, July 2025
Released: 2025-09-25
Highlights
Major Canadian airlines flew 8.3 million passengers on scheduled and charter services in July, edging down 0.3% from July 2024.
At the same time, aircraft movements at Canada's major and select small airports totalled 614,251 in July 2025, up 3.6% from the same month the previous year. Local movements rose 6.6% year over year, while itinerant movements increased 2.3%.
Consult the Aviation Data Visualization Hub to explore aircraft movement statistics and monthly civil aviation statistics in an interactive format.
Air travel relatively unchanged in July
Canadian Level I air carriers flew 8.3 million passengers on scheduled and charter services in July, 0.3% fewer than in July 2024.
The number of passenger-kilometres increased 1.6% year over year to 23.9 billion in July 2025, while capacity was up 3.3% to 27.6 billion available seat-kilometres. As a result, the passenger load factor (the ratio of passenger-kilometres to available seat-kilometres) declined from 88.0% in July 2024 to 86.6% in July 2025.
Chart 1
Passenger load factor, Canadian air carriers, Level I
Each passenger travelled an average of 2,884 kilometres in July, up 1.8% from the same month one year earlier.
Level I carriers flew 212,000 hours (+3.9%) in July and generated $3.0 billion (+1.9%) in total operating revenue.
Local movements and domestic itinerant movements lead increase
In July, flight school activity at Canada's major and select small airports contributed to the increase in local aircraft movements, which were up 6.6% year over year to 185,162. Gains were recorded in six provinces and territories, with Ontario (+21.8%; +7,429 movements) leading the increase for the fourth consecutive month.
Chart 2
Total aircraft movements at major and select small airports, by class of operation
Domestic itinerant movements increased 2.6% year over year to 371,498 in July.
Transborder movements (to and from the United States) continued to decline in July, down 2.6% year over year to 39,733. Meanwhile, other international traffic (outside the United States) rose 7.6% from the previous year to reach 17,858 movements in July.
Wildfires continue to burn across the country
In July, wildfires continued across several regions of the country. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported wildfires having burned 6.3 million hectares across Canada by the end of July 2025, more than double the 10-year average. Large increases in total aircraft movements related to wildfire response were observed in Flin Flon, Manitoba (1,639 total movements; +185.0%), Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan (630 movements; +46.5%), and Red Lake, Ontario (3,120 movements; +44.2%).
Focus on Canada and the United States
Transborder aircraft movements (to and from the United States) represented 9.3% of total itinerant movements at Canada's major and select small airports in July, down from 9.7% in July 2024.
In July 2025, year-over-year declines in movements to and from the United States were recorded at two of the four largest Canadian airports: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (-6.2%) and Montréal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International (-4.7%). In contrast, Vancouver International (+2.6%) and Calgary International (+1.1%) posted year-over-year increases in transborder movements.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers carried by Canadian Level I air carriers on scheduled transborder flights in July was 14.9% below the level recorded in the same month of the previous year. This was the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year declines and the largest of the six declines. In July, the capacity of these flights, measured in available seat-kilometres, decreased year over year for the fourth consecutive month, down 10.6% from July 2024, and was the largest of the four declines. The passenger load factor on scheduled transborder flights decreased from 89.2% in July 2024 to 85.1% in July 2025.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
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Note to readers
This consolidated monthly release covers the following statistical programs:
- Aircraft movement statistics (survey number 2715, tables 23-10-0296-01 to 23-10-0304-01)
- Monthly civil aviation statistics (survey number 5026, table 23-10-0079-01).
Consult the Aviation Data Visualization Hub to explore data from Aircraft movement statistics and Monthly civil aviation statistics in an interactive format.
The aviation statistics program uses respondent (Monthly civil aviation statistics) and administrative (Aircraft movement statistics) data.
An aircraft movement is defined as a take-off, landing or simulated approach by an aircraft, as defined by NAV CANADA.
An itinerant movement is the initial take-off or the final landing of an aircraft.
A domestic itinerant movement is defined as a movement, at a Canadian airport, of an aircraft departing to or arriving from a point in Canada.
A local movement is an aircraft conducting the following airport activities: touch-and-go, stop-and-go, simulated approach without landing, low approach, pull up while on final approach or missed approach. Local movements are often carried out during training flights (touch-and-go), equipment tests, etc.
On July 11, 2024, the flight service station at Peace River, British Columbia, was officially closed. Since August 2024, movements for Peace River Airport are excluded from Aircraft movement statistics. Data prior to August 2024 will continue to be available.
On June 2, 2025, Stephenville Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador was closed. Since June 2025, movements for Stephenville Airport are excluded from Aircraft movement statistics. Data prior to June 2025 will continue to be available.
The Monthly Civil Aviation Survey covers all Canadian Level I air carriers: Air Canada (including Air Canada Rouge), Air Transat, Flair, Jazz, Porter and WestJet (including WestJet Encore). As of June 2025, Sunwing Airlines was fully integrated into WestJet.
The average passenger trip length is calculated by dividing the number of passenger-kilometres by the number of passengers. Trips across Canada and around the world are included in this calculation.
The data in this monthly release are not seasonally adjusted.
Data are subject to revisions.
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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