The number of transborder air passengers is still 5.9 per cent lower than in 2024, while domestic traffic continued to lead growth, said Statistics Canada. (Credit: Nathan Griffiths/Postmedia)
The downshift in Canadian travel that began in early 2025 appears to be turning around as flights from Canada to the United States start to pick up again.
Statistics Canada said transborder air traffic to the U.S. “started to take off” in August, ending 18 consecutive months of year-over-year declines, according to its monthly airport travel data.
Air travel to the U.S. in August increased 5.9 per cent from 2025, to 1.4 million screened passengers. That’s compared to a 0.9 per cent decline the month before.
At Canada’s three largest airports, Toronto’s Pearson and Montreal-Trudeau posted double-digit gains in passengers travelling to the U.S., while the Vancouver International Airport recorded a 3.4 per cent decline.
However, the number of transborder air passengers is still 5.9 per cent lower than in 2024, while domestic traffic continued to lead growth, said Statistics Canada.
The number of passengers on domestic flights was 6.8 per cent higher year over year, totalling three million in August, the seventh consecutive month in which domestic travel led growth.
All major Canadian airports except Edmonton’s posted increases in domestic traffic.
Overall, 6.1 million passengers were screened at Canada’s eight largest airports in August, up 6.1 per cent from the previous year. One factor for the increase is the Air Canada flight attendant strike in August 2025 that lasted almost four days and resulted in thousands of flight cancellations.
Following the FIFA World Cup in June and July, when Toronto and Vancouver played host to 13 matches, Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International posted their strongest traffic growth of the summer in August.
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