In 2024, the number of passengers enplaned and deplaned at Canadian airports increased 4.0% from 2023 to 156.7 million. This was just under the 2019 level (96.2%), prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Passenger traffic at Canada’s four largest airports was up in 2024—Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (+4.3%), Vancouver International (+3.8%), Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (+5.7%), and Calgary International (+2.5%). Nevertheless, this was a marked slowdown from the double-digit increases at these airports in 2023.
International and transborder traffic soars
The airline industry saw continued growth in travel demand in 2024, despite some ongoing challenges including inflationary pressure, pilot shortages, aircraft delivery delays, geopolitical tensions and wildfires across Canada.
As part of this increasing demand for air travel over the year, airports saw much faster growth in transborder (Canada-United States) and other international passenger numbers than for domestic air travel.
New or re-started routes, in addition to increased carrier capacity, helped drive transborder (+10.4%) and other international (+8.1%) passenger growth in 2024. Domestic passenger volumes were essentially unchanged year over year in 2024 (+0.1%).
Cargo makes a soft landing
Following the pandemic surge in package delivery, air cargo traffic in Canada saw continued growth in 2024, with the total amount of cargo loaded and unloaded at Canadian airports rising by 5.1% from 2023. Factors contributing to growth in air cargo traffic in Canada were an increase in e-commerce activity and route expansions by Canadian carriers.
In 2024, domestic cargo increased 5.9% from 2023 to 802 000 tonnes. International cargo grew 8.2% to 534 000 tonnes, while transborder cargo fell 3.5% to 243 000 tonnes.
Looking ahead
In 2024, over 31.8 million passengers enplaned and deplaned at Canadian airports on flights to and from the United States, up 10.4% from 2023 but 1.2% below 2019. However, data from 2025 on monthly screened passengers at the eight largest Canadian airports indicate that transborder screened passenger volumes have fallen every month, on a year-over-year basis, since February.