Aviation
Annual Aircraft Movements: Major airports – NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations, 2015
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Analysis
Aircraft take-offs and landings at Canadian airports with NAV CANADA air traffic control towers and flight service stations edged up (+0.4%) in 2015 from a year earlier.
Ninety-one airports reported 5.5 million movements during the year compared with 5.4 million at 92 airports in 2014, the first annual increase in aircraft movements in seven years.
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 1,798 movements in 2014.
Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Ontario (446,210 movements) and Vancouver International, British Columbia (318,669) continued to be the most active airports in 2015.
A marginal increase in itinerant movements (flights from one airport to another) was sufficient to offset the slight drop in local movements (flights that remain in the vicinity of the airport). Itinerant movements reached 4.0 million while local movements were 1.5 million.
In 2015, itinerant movements rose by 27,349 from the previous year as the majority of airports reported gains, the largest of which was recorded at Pitt Meadows, British Columbia (+10,813 movements). Other airports reporting increases of more than 8,000 movements included Montréal/St-Hubert, Quebec (+10,216), Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (+9,296) and Fredericton International, New Brunswick (+8,622). During the year, the largest reductions in activity were recorded at Edmonton International, Alberta and Fort McMurray, Alberta with 9,327 and 9,180 fewer movements respectively. Aircraft movements at both airports were negatively impacted by the downturn in activity in the Alberta oil and gas industry.
The 1.5 million local movements recorded in 2015 represented a decrease of 5,997 movements as compared to the previous year. With the exception of 2014, local movements have declined in eight of the last nine years. Boundary Bay, British Columbia (95,338 movements) and Montréal/St-Hubert (93,350) reported the largest number of local movements in 2015.
Itinerant movements: domestic, transborder and international
There were 3.3 million domestic itinerant movements reported at 91 Canadian airports in 2015, an increase of 0.9% (+30,110 movements) from 2014. The largest gains were observed at Pitt Meadows (+10,726 movements), Montréal/St-Hubert (+10,240) and Fredericton International (+8,619). The largest declines in domestic itinerant movements were recorded by Fort McMurray (-8,861 movements) and Edmonton International (-8,194).
Ninety-one airports reported 485,166 transborder itinerant movements (between Canada and the United States) in 2015, down 2.7% (-13,277 movements) from the previous year. The majority of airports recorded decreases in year-over-year activity, including Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International, Ontario (-1,876 movements), Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, Quebec (-1,782), Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International, Saskatchewan (-1,728) and Regina International, Saskatchewan (-1,694). In particular, each of the Saskatchewan airports saw declines of over 35% in their transborder activity as service to Chicago, Illinois (October 2014) and Denver, Colorado (February 2015) was discontinued. In contrast, Vancouver International reported an increase of 1,590 transborder movements in 2015, primarily due to increased traffic between Vancouver International and Seattle/Tacoma International, Washington State.
In 2015, seventy-nine airports reported 156,143 other international itinerant movements, up 7.2% (+10,516 movements) from 2014. Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (71,282 movements) followed by Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (29,644) and Vancouver International (22,260) represented 80% of the total other international itinerant movements. Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International accounted for nearly half of the increase in other international itinerant movements (+4,670 movements). While 2015 marked new services to Amsterdam (Netherlands), Delhi (India) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) as well as the first full year of service to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), nearly half of the increase was due to more flights to Cuba and Mexico. Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International recorded 2,068 more movements. Despite new services to Beijing (China), Mexico City (Mexico), and Venice (Italy), more flights to Cuba accounted for over one third of the airport’s overall increase to international destinations.
Tables
| NAV CANADA Towers | NAV CANADA flight service stations | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| number | number | number | ||||
| Number of airports in survey | 41 | 41 | 50 | 51 | 91 | 92 |
| Itinerant movements | ||||||
| Air carrier | 2,544,329 | 2,516,371 | 596,122 | 604,404 | 3,140,451 | 3,120,775 |
| Other commercial | 261,111 | 259,972 | 37,857 | 36,353 | 298,968 | 296,325 |
| Private | 290,979 | 288,738 | 115,039 | 113,230 | 406,018 | 401,968 |
| Government | ||||||
| Civil | 43,069 | 44,860 | 21,381 | 20,047 | 64,450 | 64,907 |
| Military | 38,064 | 38,159 | 9,878 | 8,346 | 47,942 | 46,505 |
| Total itinerant movements | 3,177,552 | 3,148,100 | 780,277 | 782,380 | 3,957,829 | 3,930,480 |
| Local movements | ||||||
| Civil | 1,220,962 | 1,232,218 | 272,775 | 267,927 | 1,493,737 | 1,500,145 |
| Military | 4,987 | 5,080 | 1,846 | 1,342 | 6,833 | 6,422 |
| Total local movements | 1,225,949 | 1,237,298 | 274,621 | 269,269 | 1,500,570 | 1,506,567 |
| Grand Total | 4,403,501 | 4,385,398 | 1,054,898 | 1,051,649 | 5,458,399 | 5,437,047 |
| Source: CANSIM Tables 401-0023, 401-0024, 401-0025, 401-0030, 401-0031 and 401-0032 | ||||||
| NAV CANADA Towers | NAV CANADA flight service stations | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Movements | Movements | Movements | ||||
| number | number | number | ||||
| Domestic | ||||||
| Air carrier | 1,968,052 | 1,937,910 | 588,253 | 595,821 | 2,556,305 | 2,533,731 |
| Other commercial | 258,392 | 257,494 | 37,672 | 36,178 | 296,064 | 293,672 |
| Private | 247,947 | 245,269 | 108,316 | 106,442 | 356,263 | 351,711 |
| Government | ||||||
| Civil | 42,737 | 44,616 | 21,359 | 20,020 | 64,096 | 64,636 |
| Military | 34,076 | 34,577 | 9,716 | 8,083 | 43,792 | 42,660 |
| Total, domestic | 2,551,204 | 2,519,866 | 765,316 | 766,544 | 3,316,520 | 3,286,410 |
| Transborder | ||||||
| Air carrier | 426,050 | 438,694 | 7,333 | 7,990 | 433,383 | 446,684 |
| Other commercial | 2,227 | 2,031 | 121 | 123 | 2,348 | 2,154 |
| Private | 40,487 | 40,874 | 6,310 | 6,379 | 46,797 | 47,253 |
| Government | ||||||
| Civil | 297 | 220 | 18 | 15 | 315 | 235 |
| Military | 2,208 | 1,957 | 115 | 160 | 2,323 | 2,117 |
| Total, transborder | 471,269 | 483,776 | 13,897 | 14,667 | 485,166 | 498,443 |
| Other International | ||||||
| Air carrier | 150,227 | 139,767 | 536 | 593 | 150,763 | 140,360 |
| Other commercial | 492 | 447 | 64 | 52 | 556 | 499 |
| Private | 2,545 | 2,595 | 413 | 409 | 2,958 | 3,004 |
| Government | ||||||
| Civil | 35 | 24 | 4 | 12 | 39 | 36 |
| Military | 1,780 | 1,625 | 47 | 103 | 1,827 | 1,728 |
| Total, other international | 155,079 | 144,458 | 1,064 | 1,169 | 156,143 | 145,627 |
| Total | ||||||
| Air carrier | 2,544,329 | 2,516,371 | 596,122 | 604,404 | 3,140,451 | 3,120,775 |
| Other commercial | 261,111 | 259,972 | 37,857 | 36,353 | 298,968 | 296,325 |
| Private | 290,979 | 288,738 | 115,039 | 113,230 | 406,018 | 401,968 |
| Government | ||||||
| Civil | 43,069 | 44,860 | 21,381 | 20,047 | 64,450 | 64,907 |
| Military | 38,064 | 38,159 | 9,878 | 8,346 | 47,942 | 46,505 |
| Total, itinerant | 3,177,552 | 3,148,100 | 780,277 | 782,380 | 3,957,829 | 3,930,480 |
| Source: CANSIM Tables 401-0029 and 401-0036 | ||||||
| NAV CANADA Towers | NAV CANADA flight service stations | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Movements | Movements | Movements | ||||
| number | number | number | ||||
| Source of propulsion | ||||||
| Piston engines | 776,319 | 741,624 | 170,014 | 169,035 | 946,333 | 910,659 |
| Turbo-propellers | 1,004,149 | 999,368 | 438,643 | 445,766 | 1,442,792 | 1,445,134 |
| Jet engines | 1,218,642 | 1,233,142 | 51,806 | 52,181 | 1,270,448 | 1,285,323 |
| Helicopters | 166,877 | 161,815 | 116,165 | 111,758 | 283,042 | 273,573 |
| Gliders | 11,565 | 12,151 | 3,649 | 3,640 | 15,214 | 15,791 |
| Total | 3,177,552 | 3,148,100 | 780,277 | 782,380 | 3,957,829 | 3,930,480 |
| Source: CANSIM Tables 401-0027 and 401-0034 | ||||||
| NAV CANADA Towers | NAV CANADA flight service stations | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Movements | Movements | Movements | ||||
| number | number | number | ||||
| Maximum take-off weight in kilograms | ||||||
| Light | ||||||
| 2,000 and under | 794,330 | 759,194 | 219,212 | 215,780 | 1,013,542 | 974,974 |
| 2,001 to 4,000 | 195,222 | 198,532 | 79,049 | 79,004 | 274,271 | 277,536 |
| 4,001 to 5,670 | 214,049 | 216,791 | 163,483 | 163,017 | 377,532 | 379,808 |
| Total | 1,203,601 | 1,174,517 | 461,744 | 457,801 | 1,665,345 | 1,632,318 |
| Medium | ||||||
| 5,671 to 9,000 | 209,872 | 222,310 | 106,104 | 110,221 | 315,976 | 332,531 |
| 9,001 to 18,000 | 190,387 | 186,894 | 66,894 | 71,798 | 257,281 | 258,692 |
| 18,001 to 35,000 | 640,032 | 646,364 | 116,260 | 114,024 | 756,292 | 760,388 |
| 35,001 to 70,000 | 660,019 | 657,604 | 22,066 | 21,457 | 682,085 | 679,061 |
| 70,001 to 90,000 | 126,226 | 118,941 | 934 | 878 | 127,160 | 119,819 |
| 90,001 to 136,000 | 20,305 | 30,421 | 2,584 | 3,243 | 22,889 | 33,664 |
| Total | 1,846,841 | 1,862,534 | 314,842 | 321,621 | 2,161,683 | 2,184,155 |
| Heavy | ||||||
| 136,001 and over | 127,110 | 111,049 | 3,691 | 2,958 | 130,801 | 114,007 |
| Total | 127,110 | 111,049 | 3,691 | 2,958 | 130,801 | 114,007 |
| Grand Total | 3,177,552 | 3,148,100 | 780,277 | 782,380 | 3,957,829 | 3,930,480 |
| Source: CANSIM Tables 401-0028 and 401-0035 | ||||||
| NAV CANADA Towers | NAV CANADA flight service stations | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |||
| Airports | Itinerant Movements | Local Movements | Airports | Itinerant Movements | Local Movements | |||||
| number | number | |||||||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 2 | 67,385 | 65,235 | 15,646 | 14,840 | 2 | 29,027 | 32,668 | 1,556 | 2,304 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 | 1 | 11,344 | 11,023 | 2,954 | 2,322 | ||||
| Nova Scotia | 1 | 78,295 | 78,254 | 4,183 | 3,320 | 0 | ||||
| New Brunswick | 2 | 108,803 | 96,741 | 93,316 | 84,994 | 1 | 13,641 | 13,286 | 4,684 | 4,604 |
| Quebec | 5 | 415,994 | 411,843 | 186,488 | 181,784 | 9 | 110,367 | 114,805 | 55,686 | 60,369 |
| Ontario | 11 | 934,625 | 922,331 | 306,197 | 317,666 | 7 | 147,564 | 140,474 | 56,278 | 54,331 |
| Manitoba | 2 | 146,398 | 149,078 | 61,532 | 71,150 | 3 | 45,940 | 45,698 | 10,173 | 10,475 |
| Saskatchewan | 2 | 106,920 | 109,437 | 45,795 | 39,885 | 2 | 38,868 | 37,175 | 4,183 | 4,204 |
| Alberta | 5 | 541,615 | 559,653 | 140,934 | 140,498 | 8 | 120,274 | 122,076 | 66,856 | 66,270 |
| British ColumbiaNote 1 | 9 | 717,290 | 693,682 | 359,548 | 369,247 | 13 | 212,129 | 212,620 | 66,743 | 59,064 |
| Yukon | 1 | 16,773 | 17,163 | 6,280 | 5,716 | 0 | ||||
| Northwest Territories | 1 | 43,454 | 44,683 | 6,030 | 8,198 | 2 | 21,853 | 22,751 | 4,974 | 4,662 |
| Nunavut | 0 | 2 | 29,270 | 29,804 | 534 | 664 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 3,177,552 | 3,148,100 | 1,225,949 | 1,237,298 | 50 | 780,277 | 782,380 | 274,621 | 269,269 |
|
||||||||||
Charts
Description for Chart 1
| Year | Total | Itinerant | Local |
|---|---|---|---|
| number | |||
| 2006 | 5,673,721 | 4,110,305 | 1,563,416 |
| 2007 | 6,145,913 | 4,259,199 | 1,886,714 |
| 2008 | 6,208,744 | 4,349,060 | 1,859,684 |
| 2009 | 5,899,938 | 4,172,471 | 1,727,467 |
| 2010 | 5,725,530 | 4,068,511 | 1,657,019 |
| 2011 | 5,571,612 | 4,015,734 | 1,555,878 |
| 2012 | 5,556,553 | 4,032,602 | 1,523,951 |
| 2013 | 5,455,203 | 3,965,711 | 1,489,492 |
| 2014 | 5,437,047 | 3,930,480 | 1,506,567 |
| 2015 | 5,458,399 | 3,957,829 | 1,500,570 |
|
Source: CANSIM Tables 401-0023 and 401-0030. |
|||
Description for Chart 2
| Months | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| number | ||
| J | 345,492 | 359,757 |
| F | 362,053 | 356,119 |
| M | 430,840 | 452,217 |
| A | 462,778 | 461,210 |
| M | 523,418 | 515,538 |
| J | 509,905 | 523,061 |
| J | 569,785 | 563,665 |
| A | 523,652 | 506,610 |
| S | 496,660 | 497,637 |
| O | 459,014 | 476,099 |
| N | 396,723 | 415,405 |
| D | 356,727 | 331,081 |
| Source: CANSIM Tables 401-0007 and 401-0014. |
||
Description for Chart 3
| Year | Itinerant Movements | Commercial | Private | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | ||||
| 2006 | 4,110,305 | 3,444,556 | 508,142 | 157,607 |
| 2007 | 4,259,199 | 3,607,737 | 499,296 | 152,166 |
| 2008 | 4,349,060 | 3,723,314 | 475,984 | 149,762 |
| 2009 | 4,172,471 | 3,556,052 | 465,739 | 150,680 |
| 2010 | 4,068,511 | 3,479,112 | 447,150 | 142,249 |
| 2011 | 4,015,734 | 3,442,401 | 437,678 | 135,655 |
| 2012 | 4,032,602 | 3,471,935 | 431,537 | 129,130 |
| 2013 | 3,965,711 | 3,421,602 | 424,190 | 119,919 |
| 2014 | 3,930,480 | 3,417,100 | 401,968 | 111,412 |
| 2015 | 3,957,829 | 3,439,419 | 406,018 | 112,392 |
|
Source: CANSIM Tables 401-0025 and 401-0032. |
||||
Factors which may have influenced the data
2015
Having already impacted travel at both Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan, airports in the U.S. Midwest, a major snowstorm hit central and eastern Canada on December 29th, 2015 causing delays and cancellations in southern Ontario and western Quebec, including Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal airports.
On December 27th, 2015, Air China launched non-stop service from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Quebec to Havana, Cuba. The flights will operate three times per week.
On December 19th, 2015, Porter Airlines began seasonal service between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Ontario and Melbourne, Florida. The flight will operate once a week.
On December 19th, 2015, Delta Airlines began daily service between Edmonton International, Alberta and Seattle, Washington.
WestJet began seasonal service between Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Orlando, Florida on December 18th, 2015. The flight will operate once a week.
On December 17th, 2015, National Airlines inaugurated a twice-weekly service between Windsor, Ontario and Orlando, Florida (Sanford International Airport).
On December 10th, 2015, Air New Zealand increased its services between Vancouver International Airport, British Columbia and Auckland, New Zealand from five times per week to daily service.
On December 10th, 2015, WestJet began seasonal service between Waterloo, Ontario and Orlando, Florida. The flight will operate once a week.
Aeromexico launched a daily non-stop service on December 9th, 2015 between Vancouver International Airport and Mexico City, Mexico.
On December 1st, 2015, North Star Air expanded their services in Northern Ontario with the introduction of three new routes. These routes connect a number of smaller communities with Red Lake, Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay.
On November 3rd, 2015, Air Canada launched non-stop service from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The flights will operate three times per week.
On November 1st, 2015, Air Canada launched non-stop service from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Delhi, India. The flights will operate four times per week.
On October 29th, 2015, WestJet launched non-stop service from Abbotsford, British Columbia to Las Vegas, Nevada. The flights will operate twice-weekly.
On September 29th, 2015, Air China, in cooperation with Air Canada, launched a new direct flight connecting Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport to Beijing, China. The flights will be operated by Air China initially three times per week.
Bearskin Airlines, on September 28th, 2015, rolled out 23 new weekly non-stop flights between Sudbury Airport and Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Porter Airlines inaugurated a non-stop flight from Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 21st, 2015. The airline will operate two daily weekday flights from Toronto. Weekend service includes one roundtrip on Saturday and two on Sunday.
On September 8th, 2015, WestJet began a new non-stop service between Calgary International Airport, Alberta and Houston, Texas. The airline will operate six flights per week.
Air China Cargo, on September 3rd, 2015, launched service to Edmonton International from Shanghai, China and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The flights will operate six times a week, with three flights from Dallas and three from Shanghai.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. reported 6,654 fires covering 3,953,056 hectares as of August 31st, 2015, more fires and a bit more area than a month earlier. In 2014, the agency had recorded 4,681 fires encompassing 4,549,459 hectares by the end of August.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. reported 5,766 fires covering 3,889,663 hectares as of July 31st, 2015. This represents an increase from the previous year when 3,331 fires covering 1,606,278 hectares were recorded. In several cases, particularly in Western Canada, air support was deployed to assist ground crews.
WestJet Encore, on July 15th, 2015, launched new daily non-stop flights from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia to Deer Lake Regional Airport and Gander International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, and to Sydney Airport, Nova Scotia. The airline also inaugurated new daily non-stop service between Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport, New Brunswick, and Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Ontario.
On July 7th, 2015, the Greater Moncton International Airport and KF Aerospace announced a new cargo service. KF Aerospace routes will include four times a week service between Moncton and Europe via Brussels, Belgium (DC10-30F), and future expansion will see daily service between Toronto and Atlantic Canada via Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport.
In early July 2015, a rare, lingering fog and thick ice caused major delays in food shipments to Iqaluit, Nunavut. Cargo planes and combo planes (planes that carry cargo and passengers) were not able to fly in or out of Iqaluit Airport.
Dozens of flights out of Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport were cancelled July 3rd, 2015 due to a labour disruption between the airlines and their fuelling companies.
On July 2nd, 2015, a new airline codeshare agreement between Calm Air and First Air came into effect for the Kivalliq region. Under this arrangement, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut replaces Churchill, Manitoba as the main regional hub. In addition, the announcement indicated a reduction in the number of multi-leg flights in the region with more direct flights into Rankin Inlet.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. reported 4,076 fires covering 1,352,282 hectares as of June 30th, 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/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Abbotsford International Airport.
Air Canada, on June 5th, 2015, further expanded its global network with routes from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International to Amsterdam, Netherlands and from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport to Mexico City, Mexico.
On June 1st, 2015, Air Canada launched its new non-stop daily service between Calgary International and Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat, British Columbia.
On June 1st, 2015, the main runway at St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 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 30th and 31st, 2015, Fort McMurray Airport, Alberta experienced numerous flight cancellations and delays due to a nearby fire in Saprae Creek that caused airspace to be restricted for a portion of the airport’s runway.
On May 29th, 2015, WestJet began seasonal service from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport to Glasgow, Scotland. The service will run until October 24th, 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 Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport 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 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 to Osaka, Japan and to Comox Airport, British Columbia. As well, new routes started from Calgary International Airport to Nanaimo Airport and to Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport.
On April 23rd, 2015, the main runway at Halifax/Robert L. 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, France 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, Colorado 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 and Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
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.
2014
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. The exercise was designed to test the effectiveness of the emergency measures plan, in accordance with Transport Canada requirements.
Effective October 25th, 2014, United Airlines ended flights between Chicago O’Hare International, Illinois and Regina International.
On October 1st, 2014, United Airlines discontinued service between Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International and Chicago O’Hare International.
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, 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.
Starting June 24th, 2014, WestJet commenced non-stop service twice per week between Las Vegas, Nevada and Fort McMurray Airport.
Effective June 20th, 2014, Canadian North Airlines began a seasonal non-stop flight service between Iqaluit Airport and Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport with same plane service to St John’s International.
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.
Beginning May 12th, 2014, WestJet Encore added new daily non-stop service between Fort McMurray Airport and Kelowna Airport and between Fort McMurray and Vancouver International Airport.
As of May 1st, 2014, Air Canada rouge began flying year-round service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Dublin, Ireland.
Air Canada rouge will operate five new routes from Vancouver International Airport by the end of 2014, beginning with a daily service to Las Vegas, Nevada on April 28th. The airline will also offer daily services to Los Angeles, California (beginning May 1st), Anchorage, Alaska (beginning May 16th), San Francisco, California (beginning July 1st) and Phoenix, Arizona (beginning December 17th).
Effective April 1st, 2014, Bearskin Airlines cancelled its service from Kitchener-Waterloo Airport, Ontario to Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
Beginning March 31st, Abbotsford-based Island Express Air will begin flights twice daily from Boundary Bay Airport to Victoria International Airport with connecting flights to Nanaimo and Tofino, British Columbia Airports.
On March 12th, 2014 a significant winter storm struck Eastern Canada forcing dozens of flight cancellations and delays at Eastern Canadian airports.
On March 3rd, 2014, Kenmore Air, a Seattle, Washington based airline launched a new non-stop service between Nanaimo Airport and Seattle. The airline will operate flights twice-daily.
On February 24th, 2014, a major winter storm with freezing temperatures struck the south-west coast of British Columbia forcing flight cancellations and delays at Vancouver International Airport and Victoria International Airport.
On January 7th, 2014, Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport experienced a ground stop caused by extreme cold which prevented North American flights from landing for approximately eight hours.
2013
Significant winter storms struck much of Ontario, Québec and the Maritime provinces forcing flight cancellations and delays across Canada in December 2013.
On November 30th, 2013 (4:49pm), Edmonton City Centre Airport, Alberta officially closed.
In November 2013, Air Canada rouge began year round flying between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Orlando, Florida with 3 daily departures and two more starting in December 2013.
WestJet launched a new non-stop seasonal service between Calgary International Airport, and Miami International Airport, Florida in October 2013. The airline started service four times a week until December 14th. Effective December 16th the service increased to six times weekly.
In October 2013, Air Canada rouge launched service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline offered ten flights per week for the winter 2013-2014 season.
In July 2013, Air Canada began operations of its new leisure subsidiary Air Canada rouge. Flying out of Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International the new carrier will initially serve three European and ten Caribbean and Latin American destinations.
In June 2013, WestJet launched its new regional carrier, WestJet Encore, into operations. The new airline commenced flights to Fort St. John, Nanaimo, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Starting April 2013, Porter Airlines added a fourth round-trip weekday flight between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Windsor.
In April 2013, WestJet expanded its summer service from Hamilton Airport, Ontario by adding daily non-stop flights to Edmonton, Halifax, Moncton and Winnipeg.
2012
Significant winter storms struck eastern Canada and the Maritime provinces in December 2012 forcing numerous flight cancellations and delays.
In December 2012, Sunwing began offering seasonal flights from Fort McMurray to Mexico.
Hurricane Sandy struck the northeastern United States and eastern Canada in October 2012 forcing numerous flight cancellations.
In June 2012, Porter Airlines commenced summer service to Mont-Tremblant, Québec with four weekly flights between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Mont-Tremblant International Airport.
In May 2012, WestJet launched a new non-stop seasonal service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Aruba, Netherlands Antilles. The airline also introduced daily non-stop flights to Chicago from both Calgary International and Vancouver International as well as from Vancouver International to Whitehorse International, Yukon.
In April 2012, Porter Airlines increased weekday roundtrip flights from six to seven between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Boston’s Logan International Airport, Massachusetts.
Air Canada experienced some delays and cancellations of flights departing Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Montréal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International in both March and April 2012. This was due to one day work actions by Air Canada ground handling employees.
In February 2012 (leap year) an additional day of aircraft movements were reported.
In January 2012, Porter Airlines started regular service between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Timmins, Ontario.
2011
Starting in October 2011, Porter Airlines increased weekday round trip flights between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City and Boston’s Logan International Airport, Massachusetts.
WestJet launched twice-weekly service from both Hamilton, Ontario and Prince George, British Columbia to Las Vegas, Nevada in September 2011. Service was increased between Edmonton International and Calgary International from five to seven flights daily and between Vancouver International and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International from five to six flights daily.
Hurricane Irene struck the northeastern United States and eastern Canada in August 2011 forcing numerous flight delays and cancellations.
Effective May 1st, 2011 Air Canada started cutting the following routes: Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International to Thunder Bay; Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International to Dulles International in Washington, D.C.; Montréal/ Pierre Elliott Trudeau International to Dulles International in Washington, D.C.; Calgary International to London, Ontario; and Calgary International to San Francisco, California. At the same time, Air Canada began daily service between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International.
In May 2011, Porter Airlines added daily non-stop round trip flights from Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City to Windsor and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In September 2011, additional daily round trip flights between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City and Sudbury as well as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina were added.
In May 2011, WestJet reintroduced flights from Hamilton, Ontario and added non-stop service from Vancouver International and Calgary International to Orange County, California and between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International as well as between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International.
Bearskin Airlines initiated daily non-stop flights between the Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International in May 2011.
The main runway at Moncton/Greater Moncton International was closed for reconstruction from May to August 2011.
Heavy fog in downtown Toronto in April 2011 caused Porter Airlines to cancel numerous flights at Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City.
Significant winter storms struck the northeastern United States, Atlantic Canada and Britain in January 2011 forcing flight delays and cancellations. These winter storms continued to affect the northeastern United States and eastern Canada in February resulting in further flight delays and cancellations.
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