Passenger Volumes in Canada: What 2025 Data Signals for Airports Nationwide

Newly released data from Statistics Canada confirms that passenger screening activity at Canada’s largest airports has not only recovered from the pandemic, but, in many cases, surpassed pre-2019 levels.

Strong Recovery, Now Driven by Domestic and International (Non-U.S.) Travel

In 2025, Canada’s eight largest airports processed 58.2 million screened passengers, marking:

• +2.1% growth over 2024

• +4.8% above 2019 levels

  
  

This growth was especially visible during the peak holiday period. In December 2025, six of the top eight airports exceeded their December 2019 screened passenger volumes, indicating that seasonal travel demand is now structurally higher than before the pandemic.

Screened Passengers Eight Busiest Canadian Airports - 2025

Among major airports, Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport stood out, recording the largest year-over-year increase in December (+6.2%). By contrast, Vancouver International Airport saw the steepest December decline (–2.0%), highlighting uneven regional performance even within a broadly positive national trend.

Diverging Passenger Volume Mix Is Reshaping Airport Demand

The 2025 data shows a clear shift in the composition of screened passengers:

• Domestic travel grew 5.4% annually, with gains recorded at all eight major airports

• International passengers (excluding U.S.) increased 6% year over year in December

• Passengers flying to the United States declined 7.5% from 2024

  
  

Notably, only Halifax posted year-over-year growth in U.S.-bound screened passengers, reinforcing a broader national slowdown in transborder demand.

At the same time, international arrivals by non-residents traveling to Canada by air remained below pre-pandemic levels, down 1.9% compared with December 2019. This suggests that inbound recovery, particularly for overseas markets, has not fully normalized.

What This Means for Airports Across Canada

While the data reflects performance at the country’s largest hubs, the implications extend to airports of all sizes:

• Screening demand is increasingly driven by domestic and non-U.S. international travel, not transborder traffic

• Peak-period volumes are now matching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels, increasing pressure on screening operations and terminal flows

• Regional variability is widening, making local market alignment more important than national averages

  
  

For Canadian airports, the 2025 results point to a new operating reality: overall passenger volumes are growing, but the mix of travelers, and where they are flying, has changed. Airports that align screening capacity, staffing, and terminal planning with these evolving demand patterns will be best positioned heading into future peak seasons.