In April, domestic air travel in Canada significantly outpaced flights to the United States, continuing a trend of declining transborder traffic. According to Statistics Canada, domestic air traffic reached 2.1 million passengers, compared to 1.1 million for transborder travel to the US.
Domestic growth across major airports
Air travel within Canada increased by 6.1% year-over-year, with all eight of the country’s largest airports reporting gains in domestic passenger numbers. This growth highlights a sustained preference for domestic travel among Canadians.
Continued decline in US-bound travel
Travel to the US dropped by 3.6% compared to the previous year, marking the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year decreases. The volume of air traffic to the US is now 9.2% lower than in April 2024, before trade tensions between the two countries began affecting travel patterns. These changes became evident in early 2025.
In April, travellers to the US accounted for 24.2% of all screened passengers, down from 25.5% in April 2025 and 28.1% in April 2024. More than 90% of transborder traffic passes through Canada’s four largest airports, all of which recorded year-over-year decreases in US-bound passenger counts last month.
Overall passenger numbers
Overall, 4.5 million passengers were screened at Canada’s eight largest airports in April, a 1.7% increase from the previous year. Of these, 1.3 million were screened for international flights excluding the US, representing a 0.3% drop from the prior year. This decline ended a 13-month streak of year-over-year increases that began in March 2025.
Statistics Canada attributed the decline in international travel to higher uncertainty within the travel industry, stemming from the conflict in Iran and soaring prices for refined petroleum products, including jet fuel.
