Ottawa’s airport is in expansion mode as leisure travel picks up and more travellers use YOW to connect to other destinations – but its CEO reiterated this week that more direct flights to Europe and other foreign destinations will happen only if traffic at the terminal keeps rising.
Ottawa International Airport Authority chief executive Mark Laroche told the audience at the organization’s annual general meeting Wednesday that the airport has “recovered” from the pandemic.
More than four million passengers used YOW in 2023, up 37 per cent from the previous year, and the airport generated net income of $10.6 million after falling into debt during the COVID-19 crisis.
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But the passenger mix has changed, Laroche said, noting that leisure travel now accounts for a greater share of traffic than it did before the pandemic. With Porter poised to become YOW’s biggest carrier as the Toronto-based airline ramps up flights to the capital, Laroche said Ottawa is becoming a bigger connector hub.
That means expansion at YOW is on the horizon, and the airport authority is “exploring everything from optimizing existing space and new technology, to the need for additional capacity and a significant expansion program,” he explained.
YOW is beefing up its service offerings to accommodate the expected influx of additional travellers, with plans to add new Starbucks and Bridgehead locations and D’Arcy McGee’s pub slated to be converted to a Zak’s Diner next year.
The airport is also modernizing its IT infrastructure to better protect itself against cybersecurity threats, Laroche said.
Laroche also trumpeted Air France’s decision last year to launch direct flights from Ottawa to Paris, calling the transatlantic route a “huge win” for YOW.
More non-stop flights to the western United States and other southern destinations are coming, he added. When asked whether Ottawa will see routes restored to other European destinations such as London, Laroche said that will depend on the airlines.
“People have to be reminded what it takes to get a new route,” he told the audience. “That’s not our decision. It’s the airline’s decision. Air Canada used to fly to (London’s) Heathrow (airport). We hope they will be back. If they’re not, we’re going to continue working with other airlines to get that additional route.”
Paris-YOW now a daily route
Laroche, who announced Wednesday he will be retiring, noted that Air France initially operated its flights five days a week but soon made YOW-Paris a daily connection because there was such demand for the service.
“The more we use the YOW airport, the more destinations we will get,” he said.
Ottawa Tourism president and CEO Michael Crockatt, who was part of a delegation that met with tour operators, convention planners and other tourism industry leaders in London last month in a bid to drum up business, said Europe is becoming a more important target market as business travel declines.
“We are seeing less of that independent business traveller coming to Ottawa than we used to see,” Crockatt explained. “But that is being made up for by increases on things like conventions and sports events and leisure visitation. The mix is changing, but that’s also where we see great traction in places like Europe, where there is interest in bringing events to Ottawa.”
International events supported by Ottawa Tourism pump more than $20 million a year into the region’s economy, the organization’s director of business and major events, Stephanie Seguin, recently told OBJ. With Ottawa hosting the world junior hockey championship next December and January, that figure is expected to more than double.
Crockatt said more direct flights to YOW will help his organization’s cause as it tries to promote the capital to foreign business and tour groups.
“Our job is to help generate and stimulate that demand. It’s a virtuous circle. If we do our job well, the more demand that’s generated for the community. But also the more flights that are here, the easier it is for us to do our job as well.”
