Highlights
In May, 4.7 million passengers passed through pre-board security screening at checkpoints operated at Canada's eight largest airports, a 1.9% increase over May 2024 and 5.5% higher than the May 2019 level, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transborder traffic continues to wane
For the fourth consecutive month, the number of passengers screened for transborder flights (to the United States) decreased year over year, down 8.2% to 1.1 million in May 2025. Moreover, transborder traffic was 6.7% lower than the pre-pandemic level recorded in May 2019.
There were 2.3 million passengers screened for domestic travel in May 2025, up 6.2% over the same month in 2024 and exceeding (+6.7%) the pre-pandemic level recorded in May 2019.
Other international traffic (outside the United States) was 1.3 million in May 2025, up 4.3% over May 2024 and significantly higher (+16.2%) than the level posted in May 2019.
Chart 1: Number of screened passengers at the eight largest airports in Canada, monthly, 2020 to 2025
Description - Chart 1
Data table: Number of screened passengers at the eight largest airports in Canada, monthly, 2020 to 2025
Source: Table 23-10-0312-01.
Growth widespread across largest airports
In May 2025, six of Canada's eight largest airports posted higher volumes of passenger traffic year over year with Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International reporting the largest increase (+7.5%).
Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International (-2.5%) and Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (-0.7%) posted modestly lower volumes in May 2025 over May 2024.
In terms of a post-pandemic recovery, seven of the eight largest airports surpassed their May 2019 pre-pandemic volumes of screened passenger traffic in May 2025. Only Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International (-11.7% compared with May 2019) posted a lower volume of screened passenger traffic.
Chart 2: Number of screened passengers at the eight largest airports in Canada by sector, May, 2019 to 2025
Description - Chart 2
Data table: Number of screened passengers at the eight largest airports in Canada by sector, May, 2019 to 2025
Source: Table 23-10-0312-01.
Chart 3: Year-over-year percentage change in monthly screened passengers, by sector, 2025
Description - Chart 3
Data table: Year-over-year percentage change in monthly screened passengers, by sector, 2025
Source: Table 23-10-0312-01.
Focus on Canada and the United States
In May 2025, transborder passengers accounted for 23.6% of the total number of screened passengers, down from the 26.2% recorded in May 2024.
Transborder traffic is typically concentrated at the four largest Canadian airports: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Vancouver International, Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and Calgary International. Combined, these four airports represent more than 90% of all transborder traffic.
In May 2025, for the fourth straight month, all four airports recorded year-over-year decreases in screened passenger counts for flights to the United States: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (-8.9%), Vancouver International (-8.6%), Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (-11.1%) and Calgary International (-0.2%).
Note that screened passengers include both Canadian and non-Canadian residents.
For preliminary numbers of arrivals to Canada from the United States by air and automobile, see the Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada, May 2025.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socioeconomic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
Note to readers
Data for this release are derived from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) Boarding Pass Security System and include screened traffic at pre-board security screening checkpoints at the eight largest airports in Canada.
The eight largest airports in Canada are Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International, Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International, Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Winnipeg/James Armstrong Richardson International, Calgary International, Edmonton International and Vancouver International.
Screened passenger traffic includes air travellers required to go through pre-board security screening and excludes aircrew and airport employees. This data series represents a different measure of traffic than the counts of enplaned or deplaned passengers published in Statistics Canada's annual Airport activity report or produced by the individual airports. For example, the screened passenger data will not account for passengers with connecting flights who did not pass through security. For more information, please refer to the "Related information" tab (Definitions, data sources and methods) for this release.
Users interested in accessing daily counts of screened traffic at Canada's major airports can obtain them from the CATSA website.
Reference
Data table: 23-10-0312-01.
- Note: some data tables may best be viewed on desktop.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5404.
Previous release: Screened passenger traffic at Canadian airports, April 2025.
Contact information
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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).