The National Capital Region isn’t feeling any Canada 150 hangover when it comes to the skies, as the Ottawa airport reported a sizeable jump in July’s passenger volume compared to 2017.
More than 446,000 passengers travelled through the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport last month, an increase of 8.7 per cent from the year before. While the Ottawa International Airport Authority says the increase was largely driven by additional seats to various Canadian and U.S. destinations, the fastest-growing cohort was international travellers, where volumes rose 9.5 per cent year-over-year.
The July figures are especially relevant for Ottawa as it’s both a key holiday month and follows a strong year for local tourism with the sesquicentennial celebrations. Chris Carruthers, chair of the Ottawa airport board of directors, said in a statement that the Canada 150 programming “put Ottawa on the map” for new visitors to the region.
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“We are delighted that this level of demand has continued, and that so many of these visitors are travelling by air. We look forward to welcoming them,” he said.
Year-to-date passenger volumes are up 4.4 per cent at the Ottawa airport, with officials anticipating a record-breaking year for air travel through the region.
