Aviation
Monthly Aircraft Movements: Major airports – NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations, October 2018

Analysis

There were 500,410 aircraft take-offs and landings at the 91 Canadian airports with NAV CANADA air traffic control towers and flight service stations in October 2018, compared with 479,630 movements in October 2017.

A rise 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 year-over-year increase. Itinerant movements were up 1.4% to 348,571, and local movements grew 11.8% to 151,839.

Overall, air traffic increased 4.3% in October 2018, as 54 airports reported more movements from the same month the previous year. Year-over-year variations of more than 1,000 movements were reported at 18 airports. Of these, 13 posted increases, with growth ranging from 3,360 movements at Red Deer Regional, Alberta, to 1,241 movements at Prince George, British Columbia. At the five airports that reported decreases, declines ranged from 2,400 movements at Fredericton International, New Brunswick to 1,124 fewer movements at Ottawa/Gatineau, Quebec.

Itinerant traffic increased 1.4% in October 2018, as 48 airports reported more movements. The largest increases were observed at Oshawa, Ontario (+1,517 movements), Calgary International, Alberta (+1,278) and Calgary/Springbank, Alberta (+1,158). The largest declines were recorded at Moncton/Greater Moncton International, New Brunswick (-1,668) and Fredericton International (-1,154).

In October 2018, 50 airports recorded higher levels of local activity as compared to the same month one year ago. As a result, local traffic rose by 16,050 movements. Year-over-year variations ranged from an increase of 2,334 movements at Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, to a decrease of 1,246 movements at Fredericton International.

Itinerant movements: domestic, transborder and international

Domestic itinerant movements (within Canada) were 292,164 in October 2018, a 0.8% rise from the same month the previous year. The largest increases occurred at Oshawa (+1,493 movements), Calgary International (+1,287) and Calgary/Springbank (+1,166). The biggest decreases were recorded at Moncton/Greater Moncton International (-1,664) and Fredericton International (-1,168).

During the month, 80 airports reported 42,789 transborder (between Canada and the United States) itinerant movements, up 3.5% from the level reported in October 2017. The largest increases were observed at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Ontario (+358 movements), Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, Quebec (+251) and Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International (+190). The biggest decrease in transborder traffic was recorded at Victoria Harbour, British Columbia (-85).

In October 2018, 36 airports reported a total of 13,618 other international itinerant movements, up 7.7% from the same period the previous year. Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International was the busiest airport with 6,172 movements, followed by Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (2,855 movements) and Vancouver International (2,646). Together, these three airports accounted for 85.7% of all other international itinerant movements during the month.

Factors which may have influenced the data

On October 28, 2018, Air Canada Rouge launched service from Edmonton International, Alberta to Las Vegas, Nevada. The route will operate daily until April 30, 2019.

On October 28, 2018, WestJet reduced its national capacity, decreasing service on many of its routes from across Canada and cancelling several. Cancelled routes include: service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Ontario and Fort McMurray, Alberta; Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and Quebec City, both in Quebec, as well as all flights to Mexico City, Mexico, which the airline had originally launched in March 2018.

On October 28, 2018, Swoop launched service from Abbotsford, British Columbia and from Hamilton, Ontario to Las Vegas. The flights were scheduled to begin earlier in the month but were cancelled while the company waited for regulatory approval.

On October 27, 2018, Swoop launched service from Edmonton International to Las Vegas and to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona. Service was also added between Hamilton and the Florida cities of Orlando and Tampa Bay. 

On October 27, 2018, Flair Airlines ended all service to and from Hamilton and moved its southern Ontario operations to Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International. The airline also added daily flights between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International, Manitoba as part of its October–April service, and concluded its seasonal route between Victoria International, British Columbia and Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International, Nova Scotia.

On October 27, 2018, WestJet concluded its service to Sudbury Airport, Ontario. The airline had resumed operations to the city in February 2017 after not flying out of the airport since 2001.

On October 27, 2018, British Airways suspended its service to Calgary International, Alberta for the winter season.

On October 2, 2018, a large snowfall hit Calgary, with 40 centimetres reported in parts of the city. Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed at Calgary International Airport.

As of September 30, 2018, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Inc. had reported 1,999 fires covering 1,348,522 hectares in British Columbia. At the same time in 2017, there were 1,263 fires covering 1,211,719 hectares.

On September 30, 2018, Alkan Air ended its twice-weekly service between Whitehorse and Watson Lake, both in the Yukon. The service originally began with three flights per week, which was then scaled back to twice per week.

On September 28, 2018, Air Canada reduced its flights between North Bay, Ontario and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, from four flights per day to three flights per day. The number of seats available will remain the same, as a larger aircraft will be used.

On September 21, 2018, several tornadoes touched down in the Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec regions. Some flights at Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International, Ontario were suspended due to lightning and the airport was forced to use backup power. Strong winds were also forecast that day throughout Ontario.

On September 18, 2018, Pacific Coastal Airlines and the Pacific Flying Club, located at Boundary Bay Airport, British Columbia, announced the creation of a new program meant to offset the impact of the global pilot shortage affecting regional airlines and flight training schools. The Fast Track to Success program will allow Pacific Flying Club instructors to apply to Pacific Coastal after a certain amount of time or instructional hours, and continue to work with the Pacific Flying Club while they build the hours they need to obtain an airline transport pilot licence.

On September 12, 2018, a British Airways Boeing 787 travelling from England to Calgary International was diverted to Iqaluit due to a technical fault. A second aircraft arrived the following day to bring passengers to their destination.

On September 7, 2018, the province wide state of emergency that had been in effect in British Columbia since August 15 due to wildfires was ended. The decision was made to end the state of emergency because of cooler temperatures and progress in containing the hundreds of wildfires across the province.

On September 4, 2018, WestJet Encore began twice-weekly service between Calgary International and Terrace, British Columbia.

In September 2018, Central Mountain Air announced that it would no longer be offering flights between Calgary International and Lloydminster, Alberta. The company had been operating the route for the last 17 years.

In September 2018, High Level Airport, Alberta, underwent runway construction. Runway closures were in effect from September 10 until the end of the month, during which time flight operations requiring the runways were not possible.

By August 31, 2018, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. had reported 1,927 fires across British Columbia, covering 1,280,951 hectares; making it the worst fire season on record in terms of hectares burned. On August 15, 2018, the B.C. Government declared a state of emergency to support the province wide response to the ongoing wildfire situation. This is the second summer in a row that a state of emergency was declared; by the end of August 2017, there were 1,148 fires covering 1,058,488 hectares.

On August 30, 2018, Montréal/St-Hubert Airport, Quebec, inaugurated its newly upgraded primary runway. The upgrade means the airport will now be able to accommodate larger aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A220/320 aircraft. The airport hopes to eventually attract low-cost passenger carriers.

On August 23 and 24, 2018, WestJet cancelled all of its regular flights between Vancouver International, British Columbia and Hawaii due to Hurricane Lane.

On August 23, 2018, Michigan-based Kalitta Air began arriving at Moncton/Greater Moncton International Airport, New Brunswick. The Boeing 747 began making stopovers with shipments of lobster and other seafood destined for China, and is expected to continue going forward.

On August 22, 2018, it was reported that air traffic was down to a minimum at Pitt Meadows Airport, British Columbia, due to the haze and smoke from the B.C. wildfires. Only aircraft with the required instruments were allowed to take off and land.

On August 20 and 21, 2018, British Columbia-based Harbour Air cancelled a number of flights within B.C. due to low visibility caused by wildfire smoke. Any flights to Comox, Nanaimo, Richmond or Vancouver were cancelled. On August 20 alone, 70 flights were cancelled.

On August 19, 2018, several British Columbia airports, including Kelowna, Penticton, Kamloops and Castlegar, reported cancelled flights due to wildfire smoke. In Kelowna, there was less than one kilometre of visibility, which would have prevented smaller aircraft from landing safely.

On August 18, 2018, North Star Air officially opened its new hangar and warehouse at Thompson Airport, Manitoba. The facility will support the airline’s ongoing fleet and route expansion. It is the airline’s first base outside of Ontario and will help with long-distance shipping to northern Manitoba and Nunavut.

On August 16, 2018, Swoop began new service between Abbotsford and Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International. Flights will operate once daily, and will double the airline’s number of weekly flights to Winnipeg.

On August 16, 2018, Swoop increased the frequency of its flights from Hamilton to: Abbotsford (from 6 to 12 weekly), Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International (from 6 to 7 weekly) and Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International (from 6 to 7 weekly).

On August 14, 2018, Swoop increased service between Hamilton and Edmonton International,  from 7 to 13 flights weekly.

On August 9,  2018, firefighters succeeded in containing Parry Sound 33, the largest forest fire in central Ontario and one they had been battling with water bombers and bucketing support for the previous three weeks. The status of the fire was changed from “not under control” to “being held” and was approximately 11,362 hectares in size.  Firefighters from across Canada, from the U.S. and Mexico were helping battle one of the worst fire seasons on record in Ontario.

On August 7, 2018, air quality warnings were issued for much of the province of Alberta, including Calgary and Edmonton, due to wildfire smoke coming in from British Columbia.  The combination of heat and smoke was limiting operations at some flight training schools, as visibility was limited.

Operation Nanook, formerly an annual Arctic military exercise of the Canadian Armed Forces which ran for two weeks throughout the month of August, was restructured in 2018. It will now occur year-round, with periodic exercises throughout the year. Last year, the Canadian Armed Forces deployed land, maritime and air components in two locations in the North between August 12 and 27: Rankin Inlet and northern Labrador.

For the month of August 2018, British Columbia-based Central Mountain Air temporarily suspended its non-stop service between Calgary International; and Lloydminster and Edmonton International and Fort St. John, British Columbia, while the company reviewed operations on these routes.

Between July and August 2018, Mag Aerospace trained 12 Air Cadets at Sudbury Airport, as part of an intense flight training program, where the Cadets earned their private pilot licences in only seven weeks. The company was awarded the contract from the Canadian Department of National Defence.

By July 31, 2018, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. had reported 914 fires covering 215,956 hectares in Ontario. Crews fighting fires in northern Ontario received help from other provinces, the United States and Mexico as they tried to contain the blazes. In comparison, by the end of July 2017, 257 fires and 49,298 hectares had been reported.

By July 31, 2018, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. had reported 954 fires covering 64,479 hectares in British Columbia. The agency summarized that there were over 2,000 personnel supporting wildfire suppression and widespread resource shortages without the expectation of relief.  In comparison, at the same time in 2017, the agency had reported 797 fires covering 380,754 hectares.

On July 28 and 29, 2018, Whitecourt Airport in Alberta hosted the Hometown Heroes Airshow. The airshow is scheduled for every two years.

On July 25, 2018, Swoop Airlines made its maiden flight from Edmonton International to Abbotsford. Service will be offered three times daily.

On July 21, 2018, the B.C. Wildfire Service incident command centre for the Central Okanagan firefighting efforts was moved from Penticton to West Kelowna. The command centre and firefighter camp are a reflection of the need to concentrate all manpower and communication resources in one location to better utilize and manage those resources.

On July 9, 2018, French airline Air Saint-Pierre added regular service from Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, France, to Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec. The route will be served Mondays and Fridays until August 24, 2018. The route was also served in August, 2017, with two round-trip flights.

On July 2, 2018, Air Canada began new domestic regional, daily, non-stop flights between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and London, Ontario, and between Montreal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and Windsor, Ontario.

On July 2, 2018, Air Canada began new regional routes in western Canada, including seasonal service between Calgary International and Comox; service between Edmonton International and Kelowna and seasonal service between Edmonton International and Victoria International.

In June 2018, Air Canada increased its flights between Vancouver International and London Heathrow, England, to twice per day. The airline also added new non-stop service from Vancouver to both Paris, France and Zurich, Switzerland. Flights to Paris will run four times weekly until October 15,2018,  while the Vancouver-Zurich flights will run three times weekly until October 14, 2018.

As of June 30, 2018, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Inc. reported 558 fires covering 46,569 hectares across British Columbia. At the end of June 2017, the agency had reported 247 fires covering 1,642 hectares. By June 20, the B.C. Wildfire Service was responding to 72 new wildfires in the Prince George and Northwest Fire Centres, many believed to have been started by lightning strikes.

On June 29, 2018, WestJet added non-stop flights between Whitehorse and Calgary International Airport. The summer service runs four times per week until September 2, 2018. Since 2012, the airline had operated these seasonal flights from Vancouver International.

On June 26, 2018, Island Express Air had its license reinstated by Transport Canada after having it suspended on February 28. The airline provides scheduled flights to cities in British Columbia, including Abbotsford, Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo and also provides charter services to destinations in Canada and the United States.

On June 22, 2018, Air Canada Rouge began non-stop service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Nanaimo. Flights will go four times per week until October 8, 2018.

On June 21, 2018, WestJet Link, a new regional air service in Western Canada, took flight. The service will operate under a capacity purchase agreement with British Columbia-based Pacific Coastal Airlines Ltd. WestJet Link will connect the Alberta communities of Lethbridge, Lloydminster and Medicine Hat and the B.C. communities of Cranbrook and Prince George to WestJet’s network hub at Calgary International Airport.

On June 21, 2018, Air Canada Rouge began direct flights from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International to Kamloops. Flights will operate three times per week until October 9, 2018, at which time it will be reviewed to determine whether it will continue.

On June 20, 2018, WestJet’s discount airline, Swoop, departed on its maiden flight from Hamilton to Abbotsford. The airline will initially fly out of Hamilton, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Halifax and Abbotsford, with additional destinations eventually being added.

On June 15, 2018, FlyGTA began seasonal service from Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City, Ontario to Muskoka Airport, Ontario. Flights will take place three times per week and will continue until October, 2018.

On June 15, 2018, Alaska Seaplanes commenced international service from Juneau, Alaska, to Whitehorse. Service will operate three times per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

On June 15, 2018, Air Canada Rouge inaugurated new summer seasonal service from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International to Lisbon, Portugal. Flights will occur three times per week until October 27, 2018.

On June 15, 2018, Flair Airlines expanded its route network to begin flying from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield Airport; Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International, Saskatchewan; Calgary International; Prince George and Victoria International. This brings its operation from 90 flights per week to 208 flights per week.

Starting June 8, 2018, Air Canada expanded its seasonal, non-stop Vancouver-Delhi, India flights to year-round. The seasonal flights initially launched in 2016.

On June 8, 2018, Air Canada Rouge launched service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Porto, Portugal. Service will run four times weekly until October 26, 2018.

On June 7, 2018, Air Canada Rouge launched service between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and Bucharest, Hungary. Service will operate twice weekly until October 4, 2018.

On June 7, 2018, American Airlines began new daily service from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Illinois, to Calgary International. 

On June 6, 2018, Ukraine International Airlines began non-stop service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Kiev, Ukraine. Flights will depart Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

On June 3, 2018, Air Canada Rouge launched service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Bucharest. Service will run twice weekly until October 7, 2018.

On June 2, 2018, Air Canada Rouge launched service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Zagreb, Croatia. Service will run four times weekly until October 6, 2018.

On June 1, 2018, Air Canada launched a new route between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Tokyo, Japan. Flights will operate year-round; daily during the summer and three times per week during the winter.

On June 1 and 2, 2018, Air Canada began new non-stop flights from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International to Shannon, Ireland, and from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International to Dublin, Ireland, respectively. The flights will be operated using Air Canada’s newest single-aisle aircraft, the Boeing 737 MAX 8.

By May 31, 2018, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Inc. reported 258 fires covering 37,426 hectares across British Columbia. In 2017, the agency recorded 128 fires covering 146 hectares by the end of May. By May 29, 2018, wildfires in the Tommy Lakes area, north of Fort St. John, had grown to over 19,000 hectares. Water bombers and bucketing helicopters aided in the fire suppression efforts.  On May 30, 2018, the B.C. Wildfire Service reported the Allie Lake fire, northwest of Kamloops, to be 100 percent contained. Firefighters and air support worked around the clock to bring the fire, which covered more than 2,700 hectares, under control.

On May 31, 2018, WestJet began daily, direct flights from Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

On May 25, 2018, Hainan Airlines began twice-weekly service between Vancouver International Airport and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, via Tianjin Binhai International Airport, both in China.

On May 18, 2018, a privately owned Boeing 747 Special Performance aircraft - the second largest plane to ever land at Kelowna Airport - touched down. The plane arrived for maintenance at the airport.

On May 17, 2018, Air Canada launched daily, non-stop flights between Vancouver International and Sacramento International Airport, California.

On May 17, 2018, Air Canada began daily flights between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and Pittsburgh International Airport, Pennsylvania. 

On May 13, 2018, a forest fire began at Caddy Lake, Manitoba. The province dispatched five water bombers from Gimli, Manitoba assisted by two more from Kenora, Ontario.

On May 12, 2018, an emergency alert was issued for Mackenzie County, Alberta, where nine wildfires were burning in the High Level forest area. The wildfires temporarily closed highways and had some residents on standby for a possible evacuation. By May 13, the fires were under control and the state of emergency was cancelled.

On May 10, 2018, Harbour Air began service between Vancouver Harbour and Tofino, both in British Columbia. The flights operate once per day from Thursday to Monday.

On May 8, 2018, Transport Canada issued a release stating that Saskatchewan-based West Wind Aviation was cleared to fly again, after having its operator’s certificate suspended in December 2017.

From May 7 until May 31, 2018, Medicine Hat Airport, Alberta, was closed for the rehabilitation of the main runway and taxiway pavement surfaces. The airport reopened on May 31.

Starting May 7, 2018, Integra Air suspended their daily flights in Alberta, between Lethbridge and Edmonton.

On May 4, 2018, American Airlines increased its frequency between Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from two to three flights daily.

On May 4, 2018, American Airlines added daily service from Vancouver International to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

On May 4, 2018, severe thunderstorms hit southern Ontario, with winds exceeding 100km/h.  All airplanes were grounded for the afternoon at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International.

Starting May 1, 2018, Air Transat resumed year-round service from Québec/Jean Lesage International, Quebec and Charles de Gaulle Airport. The flight will operate four times weekly throughout the summer. The route had been temporarily suspended in May, 2017.

In May, 2018, several forest fires burned in northwestern Ontario, including Kenora, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, and Thunder Bay. By May 24, the forest fire risk remained high across most of the region, with an extreme hazard in the Red Lake district.

In April, 2018, an out of control forest fire burned near the community of Badger, Manitoba. By the end of April, the fire had burned more than 1,500 hectares, and the province battled the fire with five ground crews, two helicopters, heavy equipment and a tanker package that included two water bombers and air traffic control. Additional water bombers from Kenora and Dryden were provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

On April 30, 2018, Orca Airways, based out of Vancouver International, permanently ceased operations. Passengers travelling between Vancouver International and Tofino were rebooked on Pacific Coastal Airline’s regularly scheduled flights.

On April 29, 2018, WestJet began daily, direct, seasonal service between Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield Airport and London’s Gatwick Airport, England.

On April 28, 2018, WestJet ended its service between St. John’s International, Newfoundland and Labrador and London’s Gatwick Airport. The service had been first announced in September 2015.

On April 27, 2018, it was announced that Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport, Ontario would continue operating until at least 2023.

On April 26, 2018, British Columbia-based Harbour Air and Washington State-based Kenmore Air began a new seaplane service between Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre and Seattle Washington’s Lake Union. The new service brings together two of the largest seaplane operations in the world. Kenmore Air is currently operating daily seaplane service between Seattle and Victoria.

On April 14 and 15, 2018, southern and central Ontario were hit with freezing rain, ice pellets and strong winds. Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport cancelled all departing flights and received only one arrival on April 15, while more than 600 flights were cancelled at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International. Dozens of flights were also cancelled or delayed at Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International. By April 16, over 100 000 residents were without power across southern Ontario.

On April 14, 2018, Porter Airlines increased its service to Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador; offering a total of 50 round trip flights between Stephenville and Halifax between April and January 5, 2019. The flights will also connect with Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International and Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City on the same aircraft.

On March 30, 2018, a snowfall warning was issued for southern Alberta, with unseasonably cold temperatures, gusting winds and snowfall expected.

Starting March 24, 2018, Icelandair resumed flights, four times per week, from Edmonton to Reykjavik, Iceland. Previously, for most of 2017, the flights were six times per week.

On March 21, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a snowfall warning for much of the province of Alberta.  A total of 10-15 centimetres was expected in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Hanna, and Leduc.

From March 18 to March 24, 2018, Hay River and Fort Smith, both in the Northwest Territories, hosted the 2018 Arctic Winter Games. Nearly 2000 athletes from Alaska, Greenland, northern Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavik, Nunavut, Russia, Scandinavia and the Yukon participated in 19 different sports.  Alaska Airlines provided several charter flights between Anchorage, Alaska and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to transport Team Alaska.

During the weeks of March 17 and March 25, 2018, Celebrity Cruises offered seven-day, all-inclusive flight and cruise packages (with partner First Air) from Moncton/Greater Moncton International to either Miami or West Palm Beach, both in Florida.

On March 15, 2018, Orca Airways, based out of Vancouver International, had its operator certificate suspended, prohibiting the company from providing commercial air services. Calgary-based Integra Air took over the operation of Orca Airways flights.

On March 15, 2018, WestJet began service between Vancouver International Airport and Mexico City. Flights will go three times weekly until April 29, when it will move to daily service.

On March 14, 2018, WestJet marked its inaugural flight from Calgary International Airport to Mexico City. Service will run four times weekly until April 29, 2018, when it will move to daily service.

On March 14, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a winter storm warning for southern Alberta. Air Canada and WestJet issued travel warnings for Calgary International Airport.

Between March 10 and March 16, 2018, Medicine Hat-based Super T Aviation was offering free 15 minute flights to females in honour of women in aviation week.

On March 8, 2018, WestJet became the first Canadian airline to fly non-stop to Denver International Airport, Colorado from Calgary. The new service will operate daily.

Starting March 7, 2018, Air Transat will be offering flights from Fredericton International, New Brunswick to Puerto Plata and Punta Cana, both in the Dominican Republic.

Starting March 2, 2018, Air Transat added a new flight from Windsor to Cancun, Mexico, departing on Fridays. The service will run until the end of April.

On March 1, 2018, the province of Alberta issued a province wide travel advisory due to heavy snowfall or winter storm warnings. Accumulations of 15-25 centimetres were expected in some regions.

Starting in March 2018, WestJet began service expansions on a number of domestic routes. From Calgary, some of these frequency increases include: Abbotsford, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie and Halifax. From Edmonton, some of the expansions include: Fort McMurray and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. From Vancouver: Fort St. John, Kelowna and Victoria, and from Toronto, Ontario: Saskatoon and Victoria.

On February 23, 2018, an Island Express Air aircraft carrying 10 people slid off the runway at Abbotsford. On February 28, 2018 the company’s air operator certificate was suspended.

Effective February 22, 2018, Central Mountain Air discontinued its daily flights between Comox and Vancouver International. The airline had been connecting the two cities for the last 20 years.

On February 22, 2018, Air Canada Rouge began service between Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport, Arizona, and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International. Flights will go three times per week until May 28, 2018.

On February 20, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a rainfall warning for the Ottawa area, with up to 40 millimetres of rain expected to fall over two days.

On February 20, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a rainfall warning and fog advisory for London.

On February 19, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special weather statement for Toronto, predicting significant rainfall for the following day.

On February 15, 2018, American Airlines increased service between Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and New York LaGuardia, New York, from four flights daily to five.

On February 14, 2018, a small plane crash-landed on the main runway at Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which closed the runway for approximately two hours.

Beginning February 14, 2018, Porter Airlines resumed its seasonal service from Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Flights will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with added frequency during March break. The service concludes on May 19, 2018.

On February 14, 2018, Sunwing began service between Fredericton International Airport and Punta Cana.

On February 13, 2018, Imperial Oil notified Transport Canada about possible quality-control issues with aviation fuel that had been produced at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton since December 28, 2017.  The fuel was mainly sold in western Canada and is used for small piston-based planes and some helicopters. As a result, recreational flyers, medevac flights and flying schools may have been affected.

On February 13, 2018, Sunwing began flights from Fredericton International to Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, both in Cuba.

On February 12, 2018, Sunwing began flights from Fredericton International to Cancun.

On February 11, 2018, a freezing rain warning was issued for Ottawa, with several hours of freezing rain expected in the afternoon.

On February 10, 2018, Sunwing began Saturday flight service from Saint John, New Brunswick to Varadero, Cuba. The service will operate until May 5, 2018. The previous year, Sunwing had operated flights from Saint John to both Cayo Coco and Punta Cana during the same time period.

On February 10, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a freezing rain warning for Toronto and the GTA. Snow began to fall on February 9 with between 5 and 10 centimetres accumulation, and it was expected that freezing rain would begin in the morning of February 11 and last into the evening.

On February 9, 2018, Calgary-based Integra Air ended passenger service to Medicine Hat. The airline had been operating weekday direct flights to Edmonton International since August, 2016.

On February 8, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a winter storm warning in Ontario for Windsor, Essex County and Chatham-Kent, warning that between 15-20 centimetres of snow could fall by the evening of February 9.

On February 6, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued multiple winter storm warnings and watches for western, central and southern Alberta. Widespread snowfall with total amounts of 25-40 centimetres was to begin February 7 and last until February 9.

In early February, 2018, Cargojet began operating scheduled international freighter service between Canada and South America and added a second frequency between Canada and Europe. The scheduled flights are as follows: Hamilton to/from Bogota, Columbia and Lima, Peru (via Atlanta, Georgia), operating Fridays and Sundays; Hamilton to/from Cologne, Germany, operating on Saturdays.

On January 28, 2018, a heavy rain warning was issued for the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, 40 to 50 millimeters of rain were expected to fall at Pitt Meadows Airport by the end of the day.

On January 14, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a fog advisory for Metro Vancouver, warning of near zero visibility. The advisory covered all of Metro Vancouver, extending to west and north Vancouver, southwest and east to Richmond, Delta, Surrey and Langley, and northeast to Coquitlam and Maple Ridge.

On January 13, 2018, a major winter storm with rain, wind and snow affected eastern Canada from southern Ontario to Atlantic Canada.

On January 12, 2018, snowy winter weather and freezing temperatures resulted in the cancellation of more than 200 departures (20%) and 159 arrivals (18%) at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport.

On January 11, 2018, hazardous winter conditions were expected in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia as Environment and Climate Change Canada extended a winter storm warning. The storm occurred less than two weeks after ice and snow caused major power outages throughout the valley. At one point more than 50,000 customers were without power in the region.

On January 10, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a freezing rain warning for eastern Ontario. In response, Air Canada warned passengers of possible delays due to the expectation of up to 4 millimeters of freezing rain.

On January 4, 2018, a powerful winter storm, or “bomb cyclone” hit the northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada, causing thousands of flight cancellations at various airports. Snowfall accumulation in parts of New Brunswick peaked at 60 cm. By the morning of January 4, flights in and out of U.S. cities impacted by the storm had caused approximately 15% of all flights to be cancelled at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International.  All flights were suspended at New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports. Flights from most airports resumed on January 5, however there were still numerous delays and cancellations. By January 7, many airports were still struggling to cope with a backlog of flights.

On January 2, 2018, as the deep freeze continued, Air Canada extended the alert to January 4, 2018.

On January 1, 2018, Air Canada issued a travel alert for passengers using airports in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Ottawa due to a deep freeze that brought extreme cold, snow, and icy conditions. Nearly 500 flights at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International were either delayed or cancelled.

In early January, 2018, Air New Zealand increased capacity on its Vancouver International route, moving from seven to eight weekly flights.

Starting in January 2018, Icelandair suspended flights between Edmonton and Reykjavik until late March 2018. Prior to a reduction of flights which began in November 2017, the airline had flights 6 times per week. 

On December 31, 2017, Air Canada and Cargojet concluded their freighter partnership first announced in November 2016. The carriers had operated a scheduled freighter service to and from: Mexico City; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Atlanta; Bogota; Lima and Frankfurt, Germany. In a statement, Air Canada stated they would be increasing the freight capacity on its newly added daily 767 passenger flights between Canada and Mexico, and three additional weekly frequencies between Canada and Lima in 2018.

On December 29, 2017, WestJet began service from Hamilton to Las Vegas. This seasonal service will run twice weekly until April 27, 2018.

On December 29, 2017, Air Canada advised passengers that flights at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City may be impacted due to the extreme cold weather conditions.

On December 28, 2017, WestJet issued an alert effective for Toronto until January 1, 2018, advising passengers that the weather conditions may cause delays or cancellations.

On December 28, 2017, freezing rain fell throughout the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. The weather resulted in some flight delays at Abbotsford. By the next day the freezing rain warning was extended to Metro Vancouver, especially in Surrey and Langley.

On December 26, 2017, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued extreme cold warnings for most of Alberta, the Prairies, Ontario and Western Quebec. The cold conditions were predicted to last until the weekend.

On December 23, 2017, Air Transat started service from Hamilton to Cancun and Puerto Plata.

On December 22, 2017, Sunwing began their seasonal service from Sault Ste. Marie Airport, Ontario to Punta Cana. Service will run until April 20, 2018.

On December 22, 2017, Air Transat began service from Hamilton to Cayo Coco and Puerto Plata.

On December 21, 2017, Sunwing began weekly flights from Mont-Joli, Quebec to Punta Cana. Service will operate until March 22, 2018.

On December 21, 2017, Air Transat started seasonal service from Hamilton to Punta Cana.

On December 21, 2017, Air Transat began service from London to Cancun and Riviera Maya, both in Mexico. This seasonal service will run once per week until April 5, 2018.

On December 21, 2017, Porter Airlines resumed twice weekly winter service to Burlington, Vermont, from Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. This seasonal service will operate until March 27, 2018.

On December 20, 2017, Air Transat began service from London to Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, both in the Dominican Republic. This seasonal service will run once per week until April 11, 2018.

On December 20, 2017, Sunwing started seasonal service from Hamilton to Varadero.

On December 20, 2017, Sunwing began direct service from London to Cayo Coco. The service will operate until March 28, 2018.

On December 18, 2017, WestJet began service from Moncton/Greater Moncton International, to Orlando. This seasonal service will run until April 23, 2018.

On December 18, 2017, Sunwing began service from London to Montego Bay, Jamaica. This seasonal service will run once per week until March 26, 2018.

On December 18, 2017, Air Canada operated its inaugural flight from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Cartagena, Columbia. Since the beginning of December, Air Canada also began operation of the following new services: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International to Belize; Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International to Lima and Vancouver International to both Melbourne, Australia and Yellowknife.

On December 17, 2017, Sunwing began its seasonal service from Victoria International Airport to Los Cabos, Mexico. Service will run through April 8, 2018.

On December 17, 2017, Sunwing began its first ever vacation packages from Abbotsford. Service from Abbotsford to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, will run weekly until April 8, 2018.

On December 17, 2017, Sunwing started seasonal service from Hamilton to Montego Bay.

On December 17, 2017, Philippine Airlines (PAL) launched its first non-stop direct flight from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Manila, Philippines. PAL said it will operate non-stop Manila-Toronto and Toronto-Manila flights on a regular, four times per week schedule.

On December 16, 2017, Sunwing began seasonal service from Victoria International to Puerto Vallarta. The Saturday departures will go until April 7, 2018.

On December 16, 2017, Synergy Aviation Flight Training held its inaugural “Soarin’ with Santa” event at the Edmonton/Villeneuve Airport, Alberta.

On December 16, 2017, Porter Airlines added non-stop weekly flights from Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and from Windsor to Orlando Melbourne International Airport, Florida. These are Porter’s first U.S. flights from airports outside of its main base at Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The service will run until March 31, 2018.

Starting December 15, 2017, Air Canada began daily non-stop service between Yellowknife and Vancouver International. The flights will continue until April 1, 2018.

On December 15, 2017, Flair Air expanded its service to four new airports: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International; Vancouver International; Kelowna and Edmonton International, operating several times per week.

On December 14, 2017, Sunwing began service from London to Varadero. This seasonal service will run once per week until April 5, 2018.

On December 14, 2017, WestJet Encore began daily service from Vancouver International to Comox and Nanaimo.

On December 8, 2017, Porter Airlines began winter service between Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Flights are available until April 2, 2018, with service up to five times weekly.

Between December 7 and December 14, 2017, Air Canada reported that fog and low cloud ceilings at Castlegar Airport caused 55 out of 56 flights to be cancelled.

On December 2, 2017, WestJet began service from London to Orlando. This seasonal service will run once per week until April 28, 2018.

On December 1, 2017, Air Canada began the first ever non-stop flights between Canada and Melbourne. The seasonal service will run from Vancouver International Airport four times per week until February 4, 2018.

In December 2017, West Wind Aviation, based in Saskatoon, Stony Rapids and La Ronge, all in Saskatchewan, voluntarily suspended all flying operations.

Starting in December 2017, Air Transat began to fly the bulk of its winter service schedule to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Some of the seasonal destinations which began during the month included the following:  Edmonton to Huatulco, Mexico (ends March 5, 2018); Montréal to Santo Domingo; Ottawa to Samana, Dominican Republic; Quebec City to Cayo Coco; Sault Ste. Marie to Punta Cana. Unless otherwise indicated these services end in April 2018. The airline increased the frequency, until March 2018, on the following routes: Montréal to Liberia, Costa Rica and San Salvador, El Salvador; Toronto to Managua, Nicaragua and Liberia. The frequency of flights was also increased from Vancouver to: Los Cabos (two flights), Puerto Vallarta (five flights) and Cancun (three flights), all ending in April 2018.

For the winter of 2017-2018, WestJet ended its non-stop flight from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to Orlando, which had operated since 2015.

On November 21, 2017, college students across Ontario returned to class after the longest college faculty strike (5 weeks) in the province’s history.  Activity at several airports was impacted as flights operated by college aviation programs in Ontario were affected.

On November 13, 2017, it was announced that Sarliaq Aviation, a Nunavut-based company, in partnership with Quebec transporter Nolinor Aviation, had signed a 10-year agreement with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. to provide air transportation for employees and cargo from Montréal and Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Quebec to the company’s mining projects in the Kivalliq region in Nunavut.  The new agreement will add flights to Rankin Inlet, in addition to Nolinor’s existing transport to Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank open-pit gold mine, near Baker Lake. In all, Nolinor will be providing 416 flights per year, or eight flights per week to Nunavut.

On November 11, 2017, WestJet began seasonal service from Abbotsford to Puerto Vallarta.

On November 8, 2017, low visibility prompted the cancellation of 44 flights at Kelowna Airport.

On November 8, 2017, due to the impact of Hurricane Maria, Air Canada announced it would be suspending all flights to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the 2017-2018 winter season.

On November 7, 2017, flights were grounded at Goose Bay Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador, after snow clearing crews noticed that material used to seal cracks in the runway was coming loose and sticking to tires. Commercial flights by PAL Airlines, Air Borealis and Air Canada were all affected. The runways reopened on Friday, November 10.

On November 6, 2017, FlyGTA Airlines added daily service from Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Barrie-Orillia-Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, Ontario and to the Kitchener/Waterloo Airport, Ontario.

On November 3, 2017, one of two new flight options from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia began, as Ethiopian Airlines marked five years of service between the two cities. In December 2017, the airline will add one more, increasing the weekly departures from three to five.

Starting November 3, 2017 WestJet resumed service between from Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier and Tampa Bay.

Effective November 3, 2017, WestJet began new non-stop weekly service between Calgary International Airport and Belize City, Belize.

On November 2, 2017, WestJet began non-stop service from Edmonton International Airport and Huatulco.

In November 2017, Icelandair increased their seasonal service from Vancouver International to Iceland to a full year-round schedule.

Beginning in November 2017, WestJet began seasonal service between Hamilton and Orlando.

In November 2017, Air Transat began its seasonal service from Vancouver. The airline has flights to: Punta Cana; Cancun; Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta which will continue until April 2018.

In November 2017, Sunwing Airlines introduced seasonal non-stop flights from Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International to Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda (beginning November 26), Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International to Antigua (beginning November 10) and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International to Cayo Largo, Cuba (beginning November 7).

Starting in November 2017, Air Canada changed the frequency and routing for its overseas flights between Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield Airport and London Heathrow. The previously scheduled 4 times per week Halifax-London Heathrow flights were reduced to two weekly flights operating as Halifax-St. John’s International-London Heathrow.

On October 29, 2017, WestJet began new non-stop weekly service between Vancouver International Airport and Huatulco. The service is part of the airline’s seasonal schedule for the winter of 2017-2018.

Starting the week of October 29, 2017, WestJet added an additional eight weekly flights between Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, bringing the total to 85 weekly flights. Additionally, WestJet’s seasonal summer service of six weekly flights between Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and Edmonton International Airport will now operate year-round. It previously offered the direct flights only between May and October.

Beginning on October 28, 2017, Korean Air Cargo launched regular scheduled, once weekly service to Edmonton International Airport, with a Boeing 747-8 freighter.

On October 27, 2017, due to the impact of Hurricane Maria on the island, Air Canada announced it had suspended all flights to Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten for the 2017-2018 winter season. Other Canadian carriers also announced that they would be suspending flights for the fall-winter 2017-2018 season.

On October 26, 2017, Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet launched service to Vancouver International. The airline will operate four weekly flights each on Cancun-Vancouver and Mexico City-Vancouver routing.

On October 25, 2017, Delta Airlines terminated the daily flight between Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport.

On October 15, 2017, WestJet commenced twice daily service between Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts.

On October 10, 2017, an Antonov An-124 landed at Thunder Bay Airport, Ontario for the second time since August, 2017. It was the largest aircraft that has ever landed at this airport and was carrying parts for the Bombardier assembly line.

On October 10, 2017, Oshawa Airport, Ontario reopened after a runway rehabilitation project, which had both runways at the airport closed for five weeks.

On October 4, 2017, American Airlines ended seasonal service between Québec/Jean Lesage International and Philadelphia. The service began on June 2, 2017.