National Aviation Day, the Canadian way

Canada is a major player in the aerospace product and parts manufacturing industry, ranking among the top five countries in terms of exports in 2024. To mark the upcoming National Aviation Day, let’s take a look at Canada’s aviation industry from the ground up.

Canadian aerospace product and parts manufacturers reported a record-high $30.3 billion in revenue from goods sold in 2024, up 12.1% from 2023 and 43.3% higher than a decade earlier.

Quebec ($18.4 billion) accounted for three-fifths of total revenue in 2024, followed by Ontario ($7.6 billion) and Manitoba ($2.0 billion).

Some Canadians book flights through a travel agent. The operating revenue of the travel arrangement and reservation services industry group rose 7.1% year over year to a record high of $16.5 billion in 2024.

Over one-third (35.1%) of travel agencies’ revenue came from airline ticket sales, while one-quarter (25.4%) came from the sale of package tours, which often include airfare.

Canadian air carriers transported 92.7 million passengers in 2024, up 3.2% from a year earlier but still below pre-pandemic levels of 2019.

Air carriers recorded 242.5 billion passenger-kilometres flown on scheduled and charter operations in 2024, with each passenger travelling 2,617 kilometres on average.

Domestic passenger traffic within Canada totalled 44.4 million passengers in 2024, little changed from 2023. On the other hand, international traffic grew 6.3% year over year to 48.2 million passengers, exceeding the 2019 level by 6.5%.

In 2024, passenger revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $32.4 billion, accounting for 85.7% of total airline operating revenue.

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.

The total amount of domestic (+5.9% to 802 000 tonnes) and international (+8.2% to 534 000 tonnes) cargo carried both grew from 2023 to 2024, while transborder cargo fell 3.5% to 243 000 tonnes.

On a customs basis, Canada exported $12.1 billion worth of aircraft to the world in 2024 and imported $4.3 billion. The United States ($7.3 billion) accounted for 60% of total exports that year and just over one-quarter (27%) of all imports.

Excluding the United States, Canada’s most important export markets for aircraft in 2024 were Italy ($579 million) and the United Kingdom ($506 million).

To learn more about Canada’s aviation industry, check out our Transportation Data and Information Hub.