Aircraft movement statistics: Major airports, May 2021 Released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time in The Daily, Thursday, July 29, 2021
Highlights
In May, there were 373,173 aircraft movements at Canada's major airports. This represents a 79.8% increase over May 2020, but still 34.0% below pre-pandemic levels in May 2019.
Compared with May 2019, total domestic activity was down 37.2%, while flights to and from the United States were down 84.5%. Other international movements were one quarter what they were in May 2019 (-75.5%).
Kenora Airport in Ontario recorded its highest number of domestic movements in almost a decade, in large part due to the activities of aircraft combating forest fires in the area.
The three airports with the most traffic in May were Boundary Bay, British Columbia (21,413 movements), Abbotsford, British Columbia (14,883) and Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario (13,955).
Traffic up from last year, but still below pre-pandemic levels
Total aircraft movements (take-offs and landings) at the 90 Canadian airports with NAV CANADA towers and flight service stations were 373,173 in May, up 79.8% from May 2020. Itinerant movements (from one airport to another) increased 67.6% and local movements (in the vicinity of the airport) were up 99.0%.
Compared with the same month pre-pandemic (May 2019), total air traffic was down 34.0% in May 2021, with itinerant movements down 43.9% below and local movements under by 14.0%. The Daily, Thursday, July 29, 2021
Chart 1 Total aircraft movements at major airports, by class of operation
number of movements
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0 May May 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Total movements Itinerant movements
Local movements
Source(s): Tables 23-10-0002-01 and 23-10-0009-01.
On March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. In the months that followed, total aircraft movements remained well below historical norms. For this reason, unless otherwise specified, comparisons in this release will be made with the same month of 2019 (also referred to as "pre-pandemic"), when aircraft movement levels were in line with historical trends.
Domestic, transborder and other international movements
Although total domestic movements (within Canada) were down 37.2% from the pre-pandemic levels of May 2019, the skies were busy around some of Canada's airports. Kenora Airport in Ontario, for example, saw its highest number of domestic movements in almost a decade. In May, there were 593 more domestic take-offs and landings than in the same month in 2019 (+77.6%), as aircraft flew in and out battling forest fires in the area.
Domestic activity by level I-III and foreign carriers continued to be fettered by the third wave of the pandemic and was down 57.4% from May 2019.
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Chart 2 Domestic movements at major airports, 2019 to 2021
number
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0 Jan. May 2019 2020 2021
Total domestic movements
Domestic movements, level I to III carriers and foreign carriers
Source(s): tables 23-10-0008-01 and 23-10-0015-01
The slump in international traffic continued as travel restrictions were unchanged in May, and flights to Mexico and the Caribbean by Canadian carriers remained on pause.
Transborder movements (flights to and from the United States) declined 84.5%, while other international traffic was down 75.5% from pre-pandemic levels.
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Infographic 1 – Transborder movements at major airports, 2019 to 2021
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Infographic 2 – Other international movements at major airports, 2019 to 2021
Canada's busiest airports
In May, Canada's three busiest airports were Boundary Bay with 21,413 movements, followed by Abbotsford (14,883) and Kitchener/Waterloo (13,955).
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Chart 3 Total aircraft movements at top 10 Canadian airports in May, 2019 to 2021
Boundary Bay
Abbotsford
Kitchener/Waterloo
Montréal/St-Hubert
Pitt Meadows
Québec/Jean Lesage International
Oshawa
Calgary/Springbank
Winnipeg/St. Andrews
Chicoutimi/St-Honoré
0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 number of movements
2019 2020
2021
Source(s): Table 23-10-0002-01.
Looking ahead
With increased vaccination rates and declining cases, air carriers began to ramp up their domestic schedules in June and July.
In July, the federal government began the first phase of easing border measures for international travel. Starting July 5, 2021, fully vaccinated individuals who are eligible to enter Canada may be exempt from some existing entry requirements, including quarantine, hotel stopover and day eight testing requirement.
On July 19, 2021, the list of travellers eligible to enter Canada was expanded to include fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents starting August 9, 2021.
The ban on direct passenger and business flights from India was extended to August 21, 2021.
The most recent data on aircraft traffic at major Canadian airports with NAV CANADA towers are available from the weekly aircraft movement statistics.
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Note to readers
The Aircraft Movement Statistics: Major Airports Survey collects data on itinerant and local aircraft movements at major airports in Canada.
Major airports include all airports with either a NAV CANADA air traffic control tower or a NAV CANADA flight service station.
On November 5, 2020, NAV CANADA recognized the increase in air traffic at Red Deer Regional Airport in Alberta before the COVID-19 pandemic and changed its status from a flight service station to offer air traffic control service at the airport for 16 hours per day. As a result, effective November 1, 2020, monthly aircraft movement data for the airport are available in tables 23-10-0002-01 to 23-10-0008-01 (airports with NAV CANADA towers). Data prior to November 2020 remain available in tables 23-10-0009-01 to 23-10-0015-01 (airports with NAV CANADA flight service stations).
An aircraft movement is defined as a take-off, landing or simulated approach by an aircraft, as defined by NAV CANADA.
Data for May 2020 may have been revised.
The data in this monthly release are not seasonally adjusted.
Available tables: 23-10-0002-01 to 23-10-0015-01 .
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2715.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; [email protected]) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; [email protected]).
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