Aircraft movement and civil aviation statistics, August 2025

Highlights

Major Canadian airlines flew 8.1 million passengers on scheduled and charter services in August, down 3.8% from August 2024.

At the same time, aircraft movements at Canada's major and select small airports totalled 574,355 in August 2025, up 4.8% from the same month the previous year. Itinerant movements increased 3.7% year over year, while local movements rose 7.7%.

Airline operating statistics, and to a lesser extent aircraft movements, were affected by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight cancellations and delays in mid-August caused by labour disruptions.

Air travel declines in August

Canadian Level I air carriers flew 8.1 million passengers on scheduled and charter services in August, 3.8% fewer than in August 2024.

The number of passenger-kilometres decreased 4.9% year over year to 22.7 billion in August 2025, while capacity declined 4.3% to 25.7 billion available seat-kilometres. The passenger load factor (the ratio of passenger-kilometres to available seat-kilometres) was 88.3% in August, slightly below the 88.9% observed in August 2024.

Chart 1: Passenger load factor, Canadian air carriers, Level I

Each passenger travelled an average of 2,786 kilometres in August 2025, down 1.2% from the same month a year earlier.

Level I carriers flew 200,000 hours (-2.0%) in August and generated $2.8 billion (-4.7%) in total operating revenue.

Over the summer travel season of June to August, Level I air carriers flew 24.0 million passengers, a 1.2% decline from the same period in 2024. The decrease was driven by the 3.8% decline in August 2025.

Increase in local and domestic itinerant movements

In August, increased flight school activity at Canada's major and select small airports contributed to growth in local movements, which rose 7.7% year over year to 165,432. Increases were recorded in 10 provinces and territories, with the largest gains in Ontario (+5,590 movements), Alberta (+2,646), and British Columbia (+2,487).

Chart 2: Total aircraft movements at major and select small airports, by class of operation

At the same time, domestic itinerant movements grew 4.4% from the same month the previous year to reach 352,225 in August, also driven by other commercial operations, including flight school activity.

Transborder movements (to and from the United States) declined 2.2% to 39,443 in August, the fifth consecutive monthly year-over-year decrease. Meanwhile, other international movements (outside the United States) were up 3.1% year over year to 17,255.

Aircraft support for wildfires in Canada

In August 2025, wildfires continued to burn throughout Canada, contributing to unseasonably higher movements in the affected regions, since aircraft were used for wildfire response. Notably, Gander International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador recorded 3,690 total movements, a year-over-year increase of 47.6%. Other airports with activities connected to wildfire suppression also recorded significant increases in aircraft movements—Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan (802 total movements; +40.5%); Flin Flon, Manitoba (803 movements; +32.1%); and Thompson, Manitoba (4,565 movements; +30.1%).

Aircraft movements during summer 2025

The summer months—June, July and August—have traditionally been the busiest time of year for the air transportation industry. In summer 2025, total aircraft movements increased 5.5% from the previous summer. However, aircraft traffic during summer 2025 remained below the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level in summer 2019.

Focus on Canada and the United States

Transborder aircraft movements (to and from the United States) represented 9.6% of total itinerant movements at Canada's major and select small airports in August 2025, down from 10.2% in August 2024. The decrease coincided with Air Canada flight cancellations and delays caused by labour disruptions.

In August 2025, year-over-year declines in movements to and from the United States were recorded at three of the four largest Canadian airports: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (-4.7%), Vancouver International (-0.3%) and Montréal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International (-3.6%). In contrast, transborder movements at Calgary International increased 3.3%.

Meanwhile, the number of passengers carried by Canadian Level I air carriers on scheduled transborder flights in August 2025 was 18.1% below the level recorded in the same month of the previous year. This was the seventh consecutive month of year-over-year declines, and the largest of the seven declines. Capacity of these flights, measured in available seat-kilometres, declined year over year for the fifth consecutive month, down 15.5% from August 2024. The decreases coincided with Air Canada flight cancellations and delays caused by labour disruptions. The passenger load factor on scheduled transborder flights decreased from 87.7% in August 2024 to 82.2% in August 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 web page.