The Ottawa airport is seeing fewer passengers to and from the U.S., but is experiencing an increase in international travellers.
According to data from the Ottawa International Airport Authority, the total number of travellers who have flown either to or from Ottawa — including domestic, transborder and international passengers — in the first two months of this year increased seven per cent from the year-ago period, with 810,246 travellers compared to 758,030 travellers in 2025.
Domestic travel saw a four per cent increase, from 479,478 in 2025 to 500,503 in 2026.
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International travel saw the biggest increase. Last year, 126,407 passengers flew through the airport from destinations outside of Canada or the United States in January and February. This year, that number is up 33 per cent, with 168,139 recorded during the same period.
At the same time, 141,604 passengers flying either to or from the United States passed through the airport, down nearly seven per cent from the 152,145 passengers recorded during the same period last year.
The decreased number of U.S. travellers to Ottawa is something local tourism officials have been keeping an eye on.
At Ottawa Tourism’s annual stakeholder meeting in December, president and CEO Michael Crockatt said the U.S. has long been Ottawa’s strongest market when it comes to travel.
“We’re tracking Canada-U.S. sentiment and travel trends,” he said at the time. “We’ve heard that Americans no longer feel welcome in Canada and some have even felt unwelcome right here when visiting our community.”
Many Canadians rallied behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “Elbows Up” election slogan, choosing not to travel to the U.S.
In a report last fall, Statistics Canada said September 2025 saw a 30.9 per cent decline year-over-year in return trips from the United States by Canadians. At the same time, the number of U.S. residents travelling to Canada declined year-over-year for an eighth consecutive month.
“I know many of us feel personally about the current situation between our two countries,” said Crockatt in December. “We can’t let the ‘Elbows Up’ phenomenon alienate this market. The American people are our friends. It’s important to remain welcoming to them, above all, and to keep being active and continue to foster relationships with clients in the U.S.”
YOW has received sustained interest from various airline carriers, which have been upping their offerings with new routes to international destinations, including overseas.
In December, Porter Airlines added new flights to popular sun spots, flying direct from YOW to destinations in Mexico, The Bahamas, Costa Rica and the Cayman Islands.
In addition to Air France’s non-stop route between YOW and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, which took flight in 2023, and Air Canada’s London-Heathrow route that launched a year ago, YOW is getting another transatlantic flight. Starting May 15, Air Transat will begin flying passengers from Ottawa to London Gatwick Airport.
