Aviation
Monthly Aircraft Movements: Major airports – NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations, June 2016 Aviation
Monthly Aircraft Movements: Major airports – NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations, June 2016

Analysis

There were 505,884 aircraft take-offs and landings at the 91 Canadian airports with NAV CANADA air traffic control towers and flight service stations compared with 523,061 movements in June 2015.

Both itinerant movements (flights from one airport to another) and local movements (flights that remain in the vicinity of the airport) decreased in June 2016. Itinerant movements were down 2.8% to 369,065 while local movements decreased 4.6% to 136,819.

The Fort McMurray airport which had temporarily suspended all commercial air traffic the previous month due to wildfires began to resume commercial flights in June. Although the number of aircraft movements were down 43% on a year-over-year-basis, the level of activity had increased by 3,263 movements from May 2016.   

Overall, the majority of airports reported fewer movements in June 2016. Among those airports reporting declines the largest decreases were recorded at Montréal/St-Hubert, Quebec (-3,850 movements), Boundary Bay, British Columbia (-3,412), Fort McMurray, Alberta (-3,311) and Abbotsford, British Columbia (-2,639). On a year-over-year basis, the largest increases were recorded at Moncton/Greater Moncton International, New Brunswick (+3,112) and Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario (+2,480).

In June 2016, itinerant movements fell 2.8% (-10,618 movements) from the levels recorded in June 2015 as more than half the airports reported fewer movements. The largest of the reductions occurred in Alberta as traffic at Fort McMurray (-3,109), Calgary International (-2,036) and Edmonton International (-1,785) all declined. Kitchener/Waterloo (+1,132) and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (+1,059) both in Ontario recorded the largest increases over the same time period.

Local movements fell 4.6% (-6,559 movements) from the same month a year earlier. Year over year variations ranged from a drop of 3,282 (- 35.2%) at Montréal/St-Hubert to an increase of 2,340 (+ 105.5%) at Moncton/Greater Moncton International.

Itinerant movements: domestic, transborder and international

Domestic itinerant movements (within Canada) fell to 313,325 in June 2016, down 3.7% from the same month the previous year.  Leading the declines were reductions at Fort McMurray (-3,109 movements), Calgary International (-1,879) and Edmonton International (-1,519) which offset gains at several airports including Kitchener/Waterloo (+1,097), Oshawa, Ontario (+923) and Pitt Meadows, British Columbia (+893).

During the month, 82 airports reported 42,481 transborder (between Canada and the United States) itinerant movements, up slightly, 0.7%, from the level recorded in June 2015. The largest gains were reported at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (+703 movements), Montréal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International, Quebec (+317) and Vancouver International, British Columbia (+150). The largest decreases were observed at Edmonton International (-271) and Hamilton, Ontario (-182).

In June 2016, 42 airports reported a total of 13,259 other international itinerant movements, up 8.9% from June 2015.  Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International was the busiest airport with 6,246 movements, an increase of 9.0%, followed by Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (2,717 movements) and Vancouver International (2,177). Together, these three airports represented 84% of all other international itinerant movements during the month.

Factors which may have influenced the data

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. reported 3,025 fires covering 880,157 hectares as of June 30^th, 2016. This represents an increase of 1065 fires and 25,152 hectares from a month earlier. In 2015, the agency had recorded 4,076 fires encompassing 1,352,281 hectares by the end of June.

On June 16^th, 2016, Air Canada launched the only year round non-stop service between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Quebec and Lyon-Saint Exupéry, France. The flights will operate five times a week during the summer and four times a week during the winter.

On June 14^th, 2016, Air Canada Rouge inaugurated its first flight from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario to Warsaw Chopin Airport, Poland. The new non-stop seasonal service will operate four times a week until September 25^th, 2016.

On June 13^th, 2016, Air Canada Rouge started a new seasonal non-stop service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Glasgow Airport, Scotland. The flights will be offered three times a week until September 25^th, 2016.

On June 10^th, 2016, Air Canada Rouge inaugurated its first flight from Vancouver International Airport, British Columbia to Dublin, Ireland. The airline will operate flights three times a week until October 8^th, 2016.

On June 10^th, 2016, Air Canada Rouge commenced flights between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Budapest, Hungary. The non-stop seasonal service will operate three times a week.

Fort McMurray International Airport, Alberta resumed commercial air service on June 10^th, 2016. The airport authority had suspended all commercial air traffic, May 5^th, 2016, as the result of forest fires in the surrounding area.

On June 3^rd, 2016, Air Canada began weekly service from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport to Casablanca, Morocco. The flights will be operated by Air Canada Rouge until October 29^th, 2016. Service is scheduled to resume on May 1^st, 2017.   

On June 3^rd, 2016, Condor Airlines began weekly service from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia to Munich, Germany. 

On June 2^nd, 2016, Air Canada’s inaugural flight AC35, 787 Dreamliner service from Vancouver International arrived in Brisbane, Australia. These new flights between the two cities will begin daily service on June 17^th, 2016.

As of May 31^st the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. (CIFFC) reported a total 1,960 fires covering 855,005 hectares across Canada in 2016. The majority of these occurred in Alberta, which recorded 525 fires encompassing 595,709 hectares, approximately 70% of the total area covered by forest fires nationwide. During the same period in 2015 the agency recorded more fires (2,503) across Canada, however the coverage was not as widespread (239,313 hectares).

On May 19^th, 2016, Air Canada Rouge launched its new seasonal non-stop service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and London-Gatwick, United Kingdom. The flight will operate daily during the summer.

Starting May 6^th and May 7^th, 2016, WestJet launched its new non-stop service between six Canadian cities and London-Gatwick, Flights from Vancouver International, Calgary International, Alberta and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International airports began May 6^th, while service from Edmonton International Airport, Alberta, Winnipeg-James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, Manitoba and St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador began May 7^th.

On May 5^th, 2016, the Fort McMurray Airport Authority suspended commercial air traffic as a result of forest fires in the surrounding area. The airport, however, continued to operate as a key transportation infrastructure for emergency operations and the transportation of food and supplies for first responders and evacuees.

On May 4^th, 2016, WOW a low-cost Icelandic airline began flights from Reykjavik, Iceland to   Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, offering flights 5 times per week. On May 11^th, 2016, flights began between Reykjavik and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International. The airline will start with service 4 times per week increasing to 5 times per week as of July 9^th.

On May 1^st, 2016, British Airways introduced the A380 on their existing London Heathrow, United Kingdom to Vancouver International Airport route.

WestJet (Encore) began daily service on April 15^th, 2016, between Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport and Boston, Massachusetts.

On April 7^th, 2016, SN Brussels Airlines began 5 / week service between Brussels, Belgium and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport. The route was initially scheduled to begin service on March 29^th, 2016, but was delayed due to the terrorist attacks at Brussels Airport, Belgium on March 22^nd, 2016.

On April 5^th, 2016, Saskatoon-based Mitchinson Flight Centre opened a new satellite flight training school in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

On April 3^rd, 2016, Air Canada ceased its operations between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and JFK International airport in New York, New York.

On March 27^th, 2016, Mt. Pavlof, a volcano on the Alaska Peninsula, erupted with little advance notice spewing an ash cloud up to 20,000 feet (6,100 m) high and prompting aviation warnings. Flights were affected in the territories, and as far away as Regina, Saskatchewan.

On March 15^th, 2016, WestJet (Encore) began 3 times a day service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Boston.

From March 6^th - 10^th, 2016, Air Greenland operated 3 round trips between Nuuk, Greenland and Iqaluit, Nunavut.

On February 24^th, 2016, a winter storm hit Chicago, Illinois and moved into eastern Canada. The combination of snow and freezing rain led to dangerous travel conditions with over 1,000 flights cancelled in Chicago. Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport had about 140 flights cancelled.

A major snowstorm hit eastern Canada on February 16^th, 2016. Ottawa, Ontario received 51 cm of snow, a one-day record snowfall.

On February 15^th, 2016, WestJet ceased operations for the Calgary-Prince George, Calgary-Terrace and Fort McMurray-Kelowna routes, and reduced service on the Calgary-Brandon, Calgary-Edmonton and Calgary-Fort McMurray routes.

American Airlines ended its service between Edmonton and Dallas, Texas on February 10^th, 2016.

A major snowstorm hit Atlantic Canada on February 8^th and 9^th, 2016 with Halifax and St. John’s being particularly hard hit.

Freezing rain in the Ottawa area cancelled numerous flights in and out of Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International on February 3^rd, 2016.

On February 1^st, 2016, United Airlines ended its daily service between St. John’s International Airport   and Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey.

From January 22^nd – 26^th, 2016, snowstorm Jonas hit the eastern seaboard of the United States and cities including New York and Washington, DC received record or near record snowfalls. Overall, about 12,000 flights were cancelled over the four-day period, a number of which were destined for Canada.

On January 18^th, 2016, National Airlines began a twice-weekly service between St. John’s International Airport and Orlando, Florida (Sanford International Airport).

On January 17^th, 2016, the Maritimes were hit with their third major snowstorm of the week.

Having already impacted travel at both Chicago and Detroit, Michigan airports in the U.S. Midwest, a major snowstorm hit central and eastern Canada on December 29^th, 2015 causing delays and cancellations in southern Ontario and western Quebec, including Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal airports.

On December 27^th, 2015, Air China launched non-stop service from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport to Havana, Cuba. The flights will operate three times per week.

On December 19^th, 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 19^th, 2015, Delta Airlines began daily service between Edmonton International and Seattle, Washington.

WestJet began seasonal service between Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Orlando, Florida on December 18^th, 2015. The flight will operate once a week.

On December 17^th, 2015, National Airlines inaugurated a twice-weekly service between Windsor, Ontario and Orlando (Sanford International Airport).

On December 10^th, 2015, Air New Zealand increased its services between Vancouver International Airport and Auckland, New Zealand from five times per week to daily service until the end of January.

On December 10^th, 2015, WestJet began seasonal service between Waterloo, Ontario and Orlando. The flight will operate once a week.

Aeromexico launched a daily non-stop service on December 9^th, 2015 between Vancouver International Airport and Mexico City, Mexico.

On December 8^th, 2015, United Airlines reduced its service between London, Ontario and Chicago from 2 daily flights to 1 daily flight.

On December 1^st, 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 3^rd, 2015, Air Canada launched non-stop service from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The flights will operate three times per week.

On November 1^st, 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 29^th, 2015, WestJet launched non-stop service from Abbotsford, British Columbia to Las Vegas, Nevada. The flights will operate twice-weekly.

On September 29^th, 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 28^th, 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 21^st, 2015. The airline will operate two daily weekday flights from Toronto. Weekend service includes one roundtrip on Saturday and two on Sunday.

On September 8^th, 2015, WestJet began a new non-stop service between Calgary International Airport and Houston, Texas. The airline will operate six flights per week.

Air China Cargo, on September 3^rd, 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 31, 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 31, 2015. This represents an increase from the previous year when 3,331 fires and 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 15^th, 2015, launched new daily non-stop flights from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport 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.

On July 7^th, 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 (DC10-30F), and future expansion will see daily service between Toronto and Atlantic Canada via Greater Moncton International Airport. 

In early July 2015, a rare, lingering fog and thick ice caused major delays in food shipments to Iqaluit. 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 3^rd, 2015 due to a labour disruption between the airlines and their fuelling companies.

On July 2^nd, 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 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 27^th, 2015, began a new non-stop daily seasonal service from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Abbotsford International Airport.

Air Canada, on June 5^th, 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.

On June 1^st, 2015, Air Canada launched its new non-stop daily service between Calgary International and Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat, British Columbia.

On June 1^st, 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 30^th, 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 1^st, 2015.