Canadian Airport Thread II

[thenoflyzone]

^ They lost 2 spots in the rankings, as we know YWG will finish the year neck and neck with YOW, with around 4.1 million passengers. Let's see if YOW can regain 6th spot for the first time since 2020.

YMM and YYG posted 2023 numbers as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Canada#2023

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

^ They lost 2 spots in the rankings, as we know YWG will finish the year neck and neck with YOW, with around 4.1 million passengers.

YMM and YYG posted 2023 numbers as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Canada#2023

It was in eighth place for years prior though. It looks like the number-six spot in 2022 was an outlier. Still wild how close it is to YOW, despite serving a metro area three times smaller.

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

It was in eighth place for years prior though. It looks like the number-six spot in 2022 was an outlier. Still wild how close it is to YOW, despite serving a metro area three times smaller.

I know. Still, a loss is a loss.

[thenoflyzone]

So apart from all the new international service that will commence at YUL this year (AC, AV, SY etc), there are a lot of small increases here and there by foreign carriers which have mostly gone unnoticed, but put together, add up to quite a decent increase.

TAP

Lisbon – Montreal eff 02JUL24 Increase from 5 to 6 weekly, A321neo LR

Austrian

Vienna – Montreal eff 04JUL24 Increase from 6 to 7 weekly, 767-300ER

Air France

Paris Charles de Gaulle – Montreal
...
Overall service is now scheduled 28 weekly instead of 24

Air Algerie

Algiers – Montreal 16JUN24 – 14SEP24 Peak season service increases from 9 weekly in 2023 to 10 weekly, A330-200

Royal Air Maroc

Casablanca – Montreal 13JUN24 – 15SEP24 Increase from 12 to 14 weekly, 787-8/-9

Azores Airlines

Ponta Delgada – Montreal eff 01JUN24 Increase from 1 to 4 weekly, A320

Copa

Increase from 4x weekly to daily (bilateral limit was increased)

Another country that had it's bilateral limit increased is Jordan. The limit went up from 3x weekly to 7x weekly, but RJ's schedule for YYZ/YUL is still at 3x weekly for S24. That might still change, of course, so let's see.

Also, Ethiopia had a similar bilateral increase, and ET already plans on serving YYZ daily as of April.

[q12]

Based on schedule updates 2024 looks promising for YHZ to exceed 4 Million again. YHZ will likely be 5th in the Country in International (Overseas) ahead of Edmonton and Ottawa in 2024, which is impressive for a Metro of just over 500,000.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

It was in eighth place for years prior though. It looks like the number-six spot in 2022 was an outlier. Still wild how close it is to YOW, despite serving a metro area three times smaller.

Definitely an outlier as YOW was the slowest to be returned capacity of all the major airports. The thing that stood out for me at YHZ is the international numbers in 2022 and 2019 being lower than 2023. Just goes to show, especially in 2022, the ridiculous amount of transatlantic capacity that was thrown by carriers into YHZ those summers.

It's likely YWG will finish a hair ahead of YOW in 2023, but YOW should be back to its traditional 6th place spot in 2024 with all the new capacity PD's adding - both announced and still to come. It's offset somewhat by F8's YOW base closure (only 6x weekly summer 2024 vs about 27 weekly last summer), WS ending YOW-YYZ (believe it or not, it's currently loaded for winter 24-25 at this point) and AC further reducing YOW (axing YEG & EWR, reducing YQB, YHZ, YWG & YYZ, offset with additions to YTZ & YVR). On the flip side, UA is up, Y9 are touching down for the first time and AF will be way up in 2024 vs 2023 (partially thanks to a full year, but A359 daily vs A332 5x weekly makes a big difference).

For the first time ever in YOW's history, AC will not be the #1 carrier by departures or destinations served this summer (36 departures for PD so far on weekdays vs 30 for AC). They're still slightly ahead for now in seat capacity.

YWG's so far for summer 2024 got the WS transborder gains and 3 daily PD, and the return of UA...but how much of the former WO capacity will be back-filled by WS mainline (WO left YOW in February 2023)?

Originally Posted by q12

Based on schedule updates 2024 looks promising for YHZ to exceed 4 Million again. YHZ will likely be 5th in the Country in International (Overseas) ahead of Edmonton and Ottawa in 2024, which is impressive for a Metro of just over 500,000.

Unlikely as YOW already finished 2023 well ahead of YHZ in international (365K vs 314K) and YEG as of November's international stat was already ahead of YOW. Like YHZ, YOW has a lot of international capacity increases in 2024, so they'll probably keep pace with each other.

For all airports, what happens for winter 2024-25 when WS absorbs WG and then Sunwing Vacations merely becomes the airline's primary tour operator.

[q12]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

Unlikely as YOW already finished 2023 well ahead of YHZ in international (365K vs 314K). Like YHZ, it has a lot of international capacity increases in 2024, so they'll probably keep pace with each other.

Other than their one flight to Europe that is increasing to daily, what are the other big Transatlantic (overseas) capacity increases coming to Ottawa?

Halifax's Transatlantic Summer 2024:

Frankfurt, Germany
Discover Airlines YHZ-Frankfurt 5x weekly A330 (Starts April ends October)
Condor Airlines YHZ-Frankfurt 4x weekly A330 (Starts May ends October

London, UK
Air Canada YHZ-London Heathrow, UK 1x Daily 737max8 (year round)
Westjet YHZ-London, Gatwick, UK 4x weekly 737max8 (Starts April ends October)

Iceland
Icelandair YHZ-Reykjavik, Iceland 3x weekly 737max8 (Starts May ends October)

Scotland, UK
Westjet YHZ-Edinburgh, Scotland, UK 3x weekly 737max8 (Starts June ends September)

Dublin, Ireland
Westjet YHZ-Dublin, Ireland 4x weekly 737max8 (Starts June ends September)

Ottawa's Transatlantic Summer:

Paris, France
Air France YOW-Paris CDG Daily 787 (ramps up from 4x weekly currently to Daily in June)

Regardless Halifax beats Ottawa on the number of destinations served in Europe lol.

[YOWhopeful]

Question: Do the AC and WS transatlantic fights on 737max8 offer business class seats?

[People_talking]

If you're talking about lie-flat seats, they don't, they do have a typical 2-2 config for their business class, however it's just normal trans-con business seats nothing fancy. iirc

[YOWhopeful]

Originally Posted by People_talking

If you're talking about lie-flat seats, they don't, they do have a typical 2-2 config for their business class, however it's just normal trans-con business seats nothing fancy. iirc

Thanks. I was just curious. I hope that’s reflected in the price.

[casper]

Originally Posted by YOWhopeful

Thanks. I was just curious. I hope that’s reflected in the price.

Usually markets, sold and priced the same way as Premium Economy on the larger aircraft. They usually also do the same catering and service as you would get in Premium Economy on say a 787.

Air Canada has some new A321 with the proper internal business class seats on order. However those are a few years out.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by q12

Other than their one flight to Europe that is increasing to daily, what are the other big Transatlantic (overseas) capacity increases coming to Ottawa?

Halifax's Transatlantic Summer 2024:

Frankfurt, Germany
Discover Airlines YHZ-Frankfurt 5x weekly A330 (Starts April ends October)
Condor Airlines YHZ-Frankfurt 4x weekly A330 (Starts May ends October

London, UK
Air Canada YHZ-London Heathrow, UK 1x Daily 737max8 (year round)
Westjet YHZ-London, Gatwick, UK 4x weekly 737max8 (Starts April ends October)

Iceland
Icelandair YHZ-Reykjavik, Iceland 3x weekly 737max8 (Starts May ends October)

Scotland, UK
Westjet YHZ-Edinburgh, Scotland, UK 3x weekly 737max8 (Starts June ends September)

Dublin, Ireland
Westjet YHZ-Dublin, Ireland 4x weekly 737max8 (Starts June ends September)

Ottawa's Transatlantic Summer:

Paris, France
Air France YOW-Paris CDG Daily 787 (ramps up from 4x weekly currently to Daily in June)

Regardless Halifax beats Ottawa on the number of destinations served in Europe lol.

If you’re only talking about across the pond then obviously YHZ has more transatlantic capacity vs a single daily 359 or low frequency KL + DE at YEG. The only other airport in North America that is proportional on transoceanic to YHZ is YYC. Geographically speaking it makes complete sense. If Halifax were squeezed between Toronto and Montreal like a certain G7 capital is, it would almost certainly have little to no transatlantic service being 1/3 the size of Ottawa or Edmonton. NS and the Maritimes are deservedly a summertime tourist destinations (been there multiple times myself)…but all that goes away come November save AC’s MAX and at a reduced frequency to boot.

The only airport though in Canada that breaks out international traffic by sector is YVR. But for comparison’s sake between airports, an international passenger in Canada is counted the same whether they’re flying over an ocean, to a sun destination or on a 75 minute or less hop on an ATR or Dash 8.

[Dominion301]

High altitude UFO sightings by pilots over the Prairies: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/ufos-lis...rmation-over-canadian-prairies-1.6748300

[q12]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

If you’re only talking about across the pond then obviously YHZ has more transatlantic capacity

A win is a win.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

High altitude UFO sightings by pilots over the Prairies: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/ufos-lis...rmation-over-canadian-prairies-1.6748300

Interesting story

[king10]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

It was in eighth place for years prior though. It looks like the number-six spot in 2022 was an outlier. Still wild how close it is to YOW, despite serving a metro area three times smaller.

I'd imagine because it is the only primary airport in the region. YOW loses passenger share to YUL.

[JakeLRS]

Kitchener-Waterloo reports record 445,312 passengers in 2023.
Primarily driven by Flair.

In 2024, there will be a CBSA office at the terminal.

https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/Modules/...sId=fc748d10-2c49-41e0-8773-f26d7e22f4f1

[Justanothermember]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

Kitchener-Waterloo reports record 445,312 passengers in 2023.
Primarily driven by Flair.

In 2024, there will be a CBSA office at the terminal.

https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/Modules/...sId=fc748d10-2c49-41e0-8773-f26d7e22f4f1

If Flair goes under, YKF will go back to being a nothingburger airport. Talk about putting 95% of your eggs in one basket.

[Zmonkey]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

If Flair goes under, YKF will go back to being a nothingburger airport. Talk about putting 95% of your eggs in one basket.

Not sure what else they can do. Air Canada will never use it, too close to Pearson. Porter won't do it. Westjet will just do a couple spots.

They needed someone like Flair to step up.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Zmonkey

Not sure what else they can do. Air Canada will never use it, too close to Pearson. Porter won't do it. Westjet will just do a couple spots.

They needed someone like Flair to step up.

I wonder. Service to YOW seems like a no-brainer.