Publications
Aviation
Monthly Aircraft Movements: Major airports – Airports with NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations, June 2015
Monthly Aircraft Movements: Major airports – Airports with NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations, June 2015
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Analysis
Aircraft take-offs and landings at Canadian airports with NAV CANADA air traffic control towers and flight service stations increased 2.7% in June 2015 from the same month a year earlier. These 91 airports reported 523,366 movements during the month compared with 509,747 at 92 airports in June 2014.
Increases in both itinerant movements (flights from one airport to another) and local movements (flights that remain in the vicinity of the airport) contributed to the overall gain. Itinerant movements rose 3.1% to 379,683 while local movements grew 1.6% to 143,683.
Prince Rupert Airport in British Columbia, while still open, lost its status as a flight service station effective July 24, 2014. This airport accounted for 323 movements in June 2014.
Overall, the majority of airports reported more movements in June 2015. The largest gains were recorded at Abbotsford, British Columbia (+2,621 movements), Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International, Saskatchewan (+1,501), Fredericton International, New Brunswick, (+1,437), Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Ontario (+1,333) and Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario (+1,281).The largest year-to-year reductions were noted at Victoria International, British Columbia (-2,647) and Toronto/Buttonville Municipal, Ontario (-2,246). The drop in movements at Toronto/Buttonville Municipal may be attributed to its potential closure in 2016.
Itinerant movements increased 3.1 % (+11,412 movements) from the same month a year earlier. This growth was concentrated among three airports, each of which reported gains of over 1,000 movements: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (+1,179), Vancouver International, British Columbia (+1,140) and Vancouver Harbour, British Columbia (+1,079).
Local movements rose 1.6% (+2,207 movements) as forty-six airports reported more movements in June 2015. Year-over-year variations ranged from an increase of 1,712 movements (+26.3%) at Abbotsford to a drop of 2,916 movements (-40.7%) at Victoria International.
Itinerant movements: domestic, transborder and international
Domestic (within Canada) itinerant movements reached 325,297 in June 2015, up 3.7% from the same month the previous year. The majority of the airports reported increased levels of activity, with the largest growth at Vancouver Harbour (+1,084 movements).
During the month, eighty-eight airports reported 42,190 transborder (between Canada and the United States) itinerant movements, down 2.2% from the level recorded in June 2014. Slight decreases in transborder movements at Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International, Ontario (-250 movements), Halifax/Robert L Stanfield International, Nova Scotia, (-174) and Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International (-165) were sufficient to offset small gains at John C. Munro Hamilton International, Ontario (+104) and Calgary International, Alberta (+82).
A total of 12,196 other international itinerant movements were reported at forty-six airports, up 7.3% from the previous year. Activity at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, the busiest airport, reached 5,728 movements, an increase of 6.8%, followed by Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, Quebec, which recorded 2,460 movements.
Factors influencing the data
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. reported 4,076 fires covering 1,352,282 hectares as of June 30, 2015. This represents an increase from the previous year when 1,977 fires and 414,722 hectares were recorded. In several cases, particularly in Western Canada, air support was deployed to assist ground crews.
Air Canada rouge, on June 27th 2015, began a new non-stop daily seasonal service from Toronto/Pearson International Airport to Abbotsford International Airport.
Air Canada, on June 5th 2015, further expanded its global network with routes from Toronto/Pearson International to Amsterdam and from Montreal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport to Mexico City.
On June 1st 2015, Air Canada launched its new non-stop daily service between Calgary International, Alberta and Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat, British Columbia.
On June 1st 2015, the main runway at St. John’s International Airport closed to allow for several upgrades, including resurfacing and the addition of new lighting, with in-tandem work by NAV CANADA in establishing the new Category 3 instrument landing systems (Cat 3 ILS). The closure of the runway may result in flights being delayed or diverted. The runway is expected to reopen, in part, September 30th, 2015.
First Air announced it is increasing the number of flights from Edmonton International, Alberta to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories from six per week to nine per week, with an additional flight on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The service will start June 1st, 2015.
On May 29th, 2015, WestJet began seasonal service from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia to Glasgow, Scotland. The service will run until October 24, 2015.
Firefighting crews battled a large forest fire southwest of Prince George, British Columbia in mid-May 2015. More than 200 fire personnel, 13 helicopters, 30 pieces of heavy equipment and eight air tankers were involved in battling the fire.
Air Canada rouge inaugurated a new route from Montreal Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport, Quebec to Venice Marco Polo Airport, Italy on May 15th, 2015. The service will operate twice-weekly.
Kenmore Air, an airline based in Seattle, Washington, suspended its service to Nanaimo Airport, British Columbia on May 4th, 2015.
On May 1st, 2015, WestJet began seasonal service from St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Dublin, Ireland. This service will run until October 24th, 2015.
On May 1st, 2015, Air Canada expanded its international and domestic routes at four Canadian airports. New services were launched from Vancouver International Airport, British Columbia to Osaka, Japan and to Comox Airport, British Columbia. As well, new routes started from Calgary International Airport, Alberta to Nanaimo Airport and to Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
On April 23rd, 2015, the main runway at Halifax Stanfield International Airport became fully operational after an Air Canada flight crashed on March 29th. The runway was completely closed for about 10 days during this period.
On March 29th, 2015, Air France launched its inaugural flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Vancouver International Airport. The flights will run three days a week and five days a week in summer.
Major snowstorms struck Atlantic Canada in mid-March 2015, forcing flight delays and cancellations.
Effective February 28th, 2015, United Airlines ended flights between Denver International and Regina International, Saskatchewan and Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International, Saskatchewan airports. United flew two flights each day into the Saskatchewan cities.
On February 16th, 2015, Kelowna International Airport, British Columbia experienced flight delays and cancellations due to fog.
On February 2nd, 2015, a formidable winter storm hit the Greater Toronto Area forcing flight cancellations at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario and Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Ontario.
Significant winter storms struck Atlantic Canada in February 2015 forcing numerous flight cancellations and delays. During the same time, eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec recorded colder-than-normal temperatures.
A lake-effect snow band off Lake Ontario hit Halton and Hamilton, Ontario, forcing about 40 flight cancellations at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport on January 26th, 2015.
January 2015 was marked by extreme cold, heavy snow and freezing rain conditions across Canada forcing delays and flight cancellations at many airports.
Air Canada launched a new non-stop seasonal service from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. Air Canada Express will operate four weekly flights between December 18th, 2014 and March 30th, 2015.
Air Canada inaugurated new non-stop service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The new service will be offered three days a week starting December 12th, 2014.
All flights at Vancouver International Airport were briefly grounded November 30th, 2014 after a water leak at the air traffic control centre.
On November 26th, 2014, Air Canada rouge commenced non-stop flights between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Honolulu, Hawaii. The new service will be offered twice weekly.
A light snowfall combined with blowing snow delayed and cancelled a number of flights departing Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport on November 19th, 2014.
The world’s longest and heaviest aircraft, the six-engine Antonov An-225 Mriya, made its first appearance at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport on November 17th, 2014. The aircraft is approximately 275 feet long with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes.
A simulated air crash took place in October 2014 on one of the runways at the Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport, Quebec. The exercise was designed to test the effectiveness of the emergency measures plan, in accordance with Transport Canada requirements.
As of September 30th 2014, United Airlines discontinued direct flights between Chicago and Regina International and Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International airports.
Effective July 24th, 2014, NAV CANADA terminated the services provided by the Flight Service Station located at Prince Rupert Airport, British Columbia. The airport remains operational.
On July 23rd and 24th, 2014, Air Canada halted flights to Tel Aviv, Israel due to a rocket strike near its main airport.
On June 28th, 2014, Calgary International Airport opened a new runway. The new runway will be the longest in Canada, capable of landing the largest aircraft in the world with fewer payload restrictions.
Effective June 27th, 2014, WestJet Encore began service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Thunder Bay Airport, Ontario as well as service between Thunder Bay Airport and Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, Manitoba.
As of June 25th, 2014, China Eastern Airlines commenced flights from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Shanghai, China to supplement increasing demand for flights to and from Chinese destinations. Cathay Pacific Airline, which has been flying out of Vancouver for 31 years, flies twice-daily non-stop from Vancouver International Airport to Hong Kong. This airline also offers flights 10 times a week between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Hong Kong.
Starting June 24th, 2014, WestJet commenced non-stop service twice per week between Las Vegas, Nevada and Fort McMurray Airport, Alberta.
Effective June 20th, 2014, Canadian North Airlines began a seasonal non-stop flight service between Iqaluit Airport and Halifax Stanfield International Airport, with same plane service to St John’s International, Newfoundland and Labrador.
On June 15th, 2014, WestJet launched its first transatlantic flight between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Dublin, Ireland. The inaugural flight stopped at St John’s International Airport for refueling.
On June 1st, 2014, British Airways began to operate 19 flights per week between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and London, England, with the introduction of additional flights on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Date modified: