Statistics Canada reports screened passengers up at key Canadian airports

Statistics Canada reports that in April 2025, 4.5 million passengers passed through pre-board security screening at checkpoints operated at Canada’s eight largest airports — a 3.6% increase over April 2024 and 1.9% higher than the April 2019 level, pre-COVID-19 pandemic.

(It notes that for comparisons with previous years, Easter fell in April in both 2025 and 2019, while Easter occurred in March in 2024).

Domestic passenger traffic was 2.0 million in April 2025 — 7.4% higher than in April 2024 and modestly surpassing (+1.5%) the pre-pandemic level recorded in April 2019.

Statistic Canada continues that the number of passengers screened for international travel (outside the United States) in April 2025 was 1.4 million, up 7.1% over the same month in 2024 and sharply higher (+19.0%) than the level posted in April 2019.

Transborder traffic (to the United States) was 1.1 million in April 2025, 5.8% lower than in April 2024 and the third consecutive month of year-over-year decreases.

Moreover, in April 2025, transborder passenger counts were significantly lower (-12.5%) than the pre-pandemic level recorded in April 2019.

In April 2025, Canada’s eight largest airports posted higher volumes of passenger traffic year over year. Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International posted the largest increase (+8.6%) over April 2024.

In terms of a post-pandemic recovery, six of these eight major airports exceeded their April 2019 pre-pandemic volumes of screened passenger traffic in April 2025. Only Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International (-11.3% compared with April 2019) and Edmonton International (-5.5% compared with April 2019) posted a lower volume of screened passenger traffic.

Looking specifically at Canada and the United States, Statistics Canada reported that in April 2025, transborder passengers accounted for 25.5% of the total number of screened passengers — down from the 28.1% recorded in April 2024.

It points out that transborder traffic is typically concentrated at the four largest Canadian airports: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International, Vancouver International, Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International and Calgary International. Combined, these four airports represent more than 90% of all transborder traffic.

In April 2025, for the third straight month, all four airports recorded year-over-year decreases in screened passenger counts for flights to the United States:

• Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (-5.3%)
• Vancouver International (-7.6%)
• Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (-10.1%)
• Calgary International (-1.6%).

Statistics Canada notes that screened passengers include both Canadian and non-Canadian residents.