Aviation
Monthly Aircraft Movements: Major airports – NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations, February 2017

Analysis

There were 355,609 aircraft take-offs and landings at the 91 Canadian airports with NAV CANADA air traffic control towers and flight service stations compared with 375,382 movements in February 2016.

The drop in aircraft movements in February was partly attributable to the effect of an extra day in the leap year in February 2016.

Both itinerant movements (flights from one airport to another) and local movements (flights that remain in the vicinity of the airport) decreased in February 2017 on a year-over-year basis. Itinerant movements were down 4.9% to 257,757 while local movements decreased 6.3% to 97,852.

Overall, air traffic dropped 5.3% in February 2017 as 53 airports reported fewer movements from the same month the previous year. Year-over-year variations of more than 1,500 movements were reported at 10 airports. Of these, 6 airports registered declines ranging from 4,507 movements at Calgary/Springbank, Alberta to 1,748 at Langley, British Columbia. The growth in aircraft movements at the remaining 4 airports ranged from 3,683 movements at Chicoutimi/St-Honoré, Quebec to 1,670 at Windsor, Ontario.

Itinerant traffic dropped 4.9% (-13,189 movements) as 59 airports reported fewer movements in February 2017. The largest declines were observed in Alberta with decreases at Calgary/Springbank (-1,641 movements) and Calgary International (-1,497) followed by reductions at several airports in British Columbia, Vancouver International (-1,268) and Boundary Bay, (-1,195). The largest gains were recorded at Chicoutimi/St-Honoré (+871), London, Ontario (+807) and Red Deer Regional, Alberta, (+507).

In February 2017, local movements dropped 6.3% (-6,584 movements) as 46 airports reported fewer levels of activity from the same month a year earlier. Year-over-year variations ranged from a decrease of 2,866 movements at Calgary/Springbank to an increase of 2,812 movements at Chicoutimi/St-Honoré.

Itinerant movements: domestic, transborder and international

Domestic itinerant movements (within Canada) fell to 208,559 in February 2017, down 5.1% from the same month the previous year. The airports leading the declines in air traffic were Calgary/Springbank (-1,641 movements), Calgary International (-1,391) and Boundary Bay (-1,202). These reductions were sufficient to offset the growth at several airports including Chicoutimi/St-Honoré (+871) and London (+844).

During the month, 72 airports reported 34,569 transborder (between Canada and the United States) itinerant movements, down 5.7% from the level reported in February 2016.  The largest reductions in movements were reported at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Ontario (-307 movements), Montréal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International, Quebec (-299) and Vancouver International (-224). The largest gains occurred at Victoria International, British Columbia (+64) and Toronto/Buttonville Municipal, Ontario (+16).

In February 2017, 40 airports reported a total of 14,629 other international itinerant movements, up 0.5% from the same period the previous year. Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International was the busiest airport with 6,400 movements, an increase of 4.5%, followed by Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (2,850 movements) and Vancouver International (1,964). Together, these three airports accounted for 77% of all other international itinerant movements during the month.

Factors which may have influenced the data

On February 16^th, 2017, Air Canada launched daily year-round flights from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, Quebec to Shanghai, China.

Starting February 5^th, 2017, Air Canada began daily, year-round non-stop flights between Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Texas and Vancouver International, British Columbia.

On February 3^rd, 2017, WestJet inaugurated daily service from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Ontario to Sudbury, Ontario.

On January 23^rd, 2017, First Air announced a new four-year agreement with Summit Air, which will expand its use of the charter passenger service.

On January 19^th, 2017, WestJet inaugurated service from Calgary International Airport, Alberta to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona. Inaugural service from Edmonton International Airport, Alberta began January 21^st.

On January 17^th, 2017, WestJet launched its non-stop service from Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, Manitoba to Hamilton Airport, Ontario. The airline also relaunched non-stop service to Edmonton International and Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia from Hamilton Airport on January 16^th.

Starting January 10^th, 2017, Aqsaqniq Airways offered bi-monthly service from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The company plans to put passengers and freight on a de Havilland Dash-7 combi between the two hubs every second Tuesday.

Starting January 9^th, 2017, Delta Air Lines resumed daily, year-round services between New York John F. Kennedy Airport, New York and Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport.

On January 8^th, 2017, American Airlines ended its service from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On January 2^nd, 2017, Canadian North launched a refurbished Boeing 737-300 combi-jet on its Iqaluit, Nunavut – Ottawa, Ontario route. The company also announced that it will resume Dash 8 service for Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq, and Pangnirtung.

Due to planned maintenance by Canadian North, the Ottawa to Iqaluit codeshare route will be served by a single daily flight operated by First Air from January 5^th to February 28^th, 2017.

In 2016, Air Canada reduced the number of flights between Kamloops, British Columbia and Vancouver International.

On December 26^th, 2016, several flights out of Thunder Bay Airport, Ontario were cancelled due to a winter storm.

On December 20^th, 2016, Air Canada began a new year-round service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport and Port of Spain, Trinidad.

On December 17^th, 2016, Air Canada inaugurated a new non-stop service between Montréal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport and Puerto Rico. The weekly flights will operate as a winter seasonal service.

On December 9^th, 2016, Porter Airlines began winter service between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Ontario and Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Flights will be available until April 3^rd, 2017, with service up to six times weekly during the peak schedule.

In December 2016, Canadian North cancelled its code-sharing flights from Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Ontario to Iqaluit. This route was serviced by First Air.

On November 18^th, 2016, Hawkair Aviation Services filed for bankruptcy, suspending all operations.

Starting November 7^th, 2016, Perimeter Aviation added flights in Ontario from Sioux Lookout to Bearskin Lake First Nation and Thunder Bay to Bearskin Lake First Nation.

On November 6^th, 2016, Sunwing Vacations introduced a new weekly service from Kelowna, British Columbia to Cancun, Mexico. This service will run until April 9^th, 2017.

On October 31^st, 2016, Toronto Airways Inc. and the Canadian Flight Academy announced their move of operations from Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport, Ontario to Oshawa Airport, Ontario. In order to accommodate the move, Toronto Airways at Toronto/Buttonville Municipal will be closed effective November 23, 2016. The Canadian Flight Academy will be closed effective November 30, 2016.

On October 31^st, 2016, Bearskin Airlines announced it has partnered with Winnipeg-based Perimeter Aviation to re-establish service between Thunder Bay and several First Nations communities north of Sioux Lookout.

On October 29^th, 2016, WestJet launched its first flight from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Belize City, Belize. The new non-stop seasonal service will operate two times a week.

On October 24^th, 2016, Perimeter Aviation service to Sioux Lookout was expanded to include the Ontario First Nation communities of Deer Lake, Sachigo Lake, Weagamow (Round Lake) and North Spirit Lake with many of these new flights connecting to Bearskin Airlines service to and from Thunder Bay.

On October 20^th, 2016, Air Canada inaugurated the only non-stop service from Vancouver International Airport to Delhi, India. The airline will operate flights three times a week.

The Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region began its annual field training exercise in Inuvik, Nunavut and the surrounding areas on October 17^th, 2016. The live-fly field training exercise will run to October 21^st, 2016.

As of October 7^th, 2016, Porter Airlines began daily flights between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to North Bay, Ontario.

Effective October 6^th, 2016, Calgary International Airport was renamed to YYC Calgary International Airport.

As of October 5^th, 2016, American Airlines ended its service between Kitchener/Waterloo Airport, Ontario and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Illinois.

As of October 1^st, 2016, Hawkair suspended flights from Terrace, British Columbia to Vancouver International Airport.

Effective September 19^th, 2016, Bearskin Airlines increased service between the Ontario cities of Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. All nonstop service between Thunder Bay-Sault Ste. Marie and Sault Ste. Marie-Sudbury will increase from 23 to 33 flights weekly. Service between Thunder Bay and Sudbury will increase from 29 to 40 flights weekly including a combination of nonstop and one stop same aircraft service.

On September 18^th, 2016, the City of Brandon, Manitoba announced that WestJet was ending direct flights between Brandon and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport. The service was introduced earlier this year as a trial run.

On September 15^th, 2016, Greater Toronto Airways began daily flights from Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Niagara District Airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

On September 5^th, 2016, Integra Air launched a new scheduled air service in Alberta between Edmonton International and Medicine Hat.

Operation NANOOK 2016, Canada’s annual northern sovereignty operation began on August 21^st, 2016. The Canadian Armed Forces deployed land, maritime and air components in three locations in the North: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Whitehorse and Haines Junction, Yukon.

Effective August 18^th, 2016, Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport, New Brunswick was renamed Greater Moncton Roméo Leblanc International Airport.

As of August 1^st, 2016, Delta Airlines suspended flights to and from Regina International Airport, Saskatchewan and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For the month of August 2016, Central Mountain Air continued to offer flights in British Columbia between Dawson Creek and Prince George after a trial run the previous month.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. reported 3,969 fires covering 1,293,072 hectares as of July 31^st, 2016. This represents an increase of 944 fires and 412,915 hectares from a month earlier. In 2015, the agency had recorded 5,766 fires encompassing 3,889,663 hectares by the end of July.

On July 27^th, 2016, Montair Aviation, a flight training academy based in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, opened their second training base at Red Deer Airport, Alberta.

On July 25^th, 2016, NewLeaf, a new Canadian low-cost air travel company, inaugurated its first flight from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International. The company is contracting flights through Kelowna-based Flair Air.

On July 20^th, 2016, Qatar Airways Cargo launched new freighter services between New York (John F. Kennedy) and Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International.

On July 14^th, 2016, First Air suspended its three-times-a-week service from Iqaluit to Coral Harbour, Nunavut.

On July 13^th, 2016, First Air added an additional non-stop flight between Iqaluit and Cape Dorset, Nunavut.

On July 13^th, 2016, Cargair Max Aviation acquired the Air Médic operational base (land and an aircraft hangar) in Saint-Honoré, Quebec. Air Médic will continue to have access to the hanger. As part of the investment into its new flight school location, Cargair indicated it would be adding 12 aircraft and two flight simulators.

On July 1^st, 2016, Calm Air ended its midday flights connecting Flin-Flon, Manitoba, Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International and Thompson, Manitoba.

Effective July 1^st, 2016, United Airlines suspended service from Edmonton International Airport to Chicago and to San Francisco, California.

For the month of July 2016, Central Mountain Air will be offering flights between Dawson Creek and Prince George on a weekly basis.

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 1,065 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 30^th, 2016, United Airlines dropped its direct flights to and from London International Airport, Ontario and Chicago.

On June 29^th, 2016, WestJet began non-stop flights between London, Ontario and Vancouver International Airport. The service will operate four times each week.

On June 16^th, 2016, Air Canada launched the only year round non-stop service between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport 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 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 13^th, 2016, First Air launched a second daily non-stop flight between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Kuujjuaq, Quebec.

On June 10^th, 2016, Air Canada Rouge inaugurated its first flight from Vancouver International Airport 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 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.

In the summer of 2016, WestJet launched a new nonstop route from Calgary International to Thunder Bay.

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 24^th, 2016, Air Canada began new flights between Hamilton and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

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.

Beginning May 11^th, 2016, Korean Air Cargo added a second weekly flight from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport to South Korea.

On May 11^th, 2016, WOW a low-cost Icelandic airline began 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.

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 and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International airports began May 6^th, while service from Edmonton International Airport, Winnipeg-James Armstrong Richardson International Airport and St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador began May 7^th.

On May 6^th, 2016, WestJet cancelled direct flights from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International to Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador to add more direct flights to Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport.

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 began flights from Reykjavik, Iceland to Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, offering flights 5 times per week.

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

Starting May 1^st, 2016, Air Canada increased capacity by 48% on flights between Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador and Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International as well as the connection between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and St John’s International. The new Bombardier Q400 aircraft seats 74 passengers, 24 more seats than the Bombardier CRJ held.

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

On April 15^th, 2016, WestJet added a second daily flight between Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador and Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International.

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 4^th, 2016, Delta Airlines began a new non-stop service from Victoria International Airport, British Columbia to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington. The flights will operate three times daily.

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.

In April 2016, Air Canada suspended one round trip flight between Vancouver and Terrace. Westjet as well will no longer operate its early morning flight to Vancouver and late night return to Terrace.

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.

Starting March 15^th, 2016, WestJet launched non-stop service between London, Ontario and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport.

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

Effective March 14^th, 2016, Provincial Airlines introduced a new same day return flight from Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador to St. John’s International. An additional evening flight also was offered connecting St. John’s International, Deer Lake and Stephenville.

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

On March 5^th, 2016, WestJet eliminated flights between Edmonton International and Kamloops and Edmonton International and Nanaimo, British Columbia.

On February 24^th, 2016, a winter storm hit Chicago 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 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.