Airport activity changes course in 2025
Released: 2026-07-21
158.9 million
2025
1.3% 
(year-over-year change)
Highlights
In 2025, 158.9 million passengers enplaned and deplaned at Canadian airports, up 1.3% from 2024. This remained just below the 2019 level, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, as year-over-year growth has slowed in recent years. Indeed, the number of passengers enplaned and deplaned at Canadian airports in 2025 represented 97.6% of the number recorded in 2019.
Growth in passenger traffic in 2025 varied across Canada's four largest airports, with year-over-year increases at Vancouver International (+2.7%) and Calgary International (+2.0%). Passenger traffic at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International edged up 0.4%, while Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International recorded a slight decrease of 0.4%.
Please consult the Aviation Data Visualization Hub to further explore airport activity statistics in an interactive format.
Chart 1
Passengers enplaned and deplaned at the top four Canadian airports
International and domestic strength offset decline in transborder traffic
The year 2025 marked a notable change in travel patterns, as Canadian travellers made fewer cross-border trips amid trade tensions with the United States.
Chart 2
Air passenger traffic, by sector
The number of passengers enplaned and deplaned at Canadian airports on flights to and from the United States fell 7.9% year over year to 29.4 million in 2025.
Meanwhile, airports saw higher demand for domestic air travel (+2.9%) and an even greater increase for other international (outside the United States) air travel (+5.1%). In response, several airlines cancelled transborder routes and began offering new routes to other international destinations.
Cargo soars to unprecedented levels
In 2025, the total amount of cargo loaded and unloaded at Canadian airports increased by 6.6% from 2024 to just under 1.7 million tonnes, with some airports setting record highs.
Canada's air cargo sector benefitted from continued strength in e-commerce in 2025; it expanded partnerships and returned to belly-hold cargo—transported in the lower deck of commercial passenger aircraft—over the heavy use of dedicated cargo-only freighters following the pandemic.
Cargo volumes increased in all sectors in 2025: domestic cargo was up 3.6% from the previous year to 825 500 tonnes, international cargo grew 12.6% to 605 000 tonnes and transborder cargo rose 2.7% to 250 000 tonnes.
Looking ahead
The downward trend in air travel between Canada and the United States that started in early 2025 continued into early 2026. While cross-border travel by automobile showed some recovery in April 2026, May marked the 16th consecutive month of year-over-year decrease in transborder air traffic, according to counts of screened passengers at Canada's eight largest airports.
The conflict in the Middle East, which began at the end of February has resulted in higher jet fuel prices, rising airfares and concerns of fuel shortages, all of which could weigh on the travel sector ahead of the peak summer travel season at Canada's airports.
Note to readers
This survey collects data on passengers enplaned and deplaned and cargo loaded and unloaded at Canadian airports.
With each release, data for the previous reference year may be revised.
For additional contextual information on events affecting air travel, including summaries of selected Canadian economic events, as well as international and financial market developments by calendar month, check out the Canadian Economic News.
Products
The publication of "Airport Activity: Air Carrier Traffic at Canadian Airports" as part of the service bulletin Aviation (51-004-X) has been discontinued as of June 2026.
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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