It’s becoming easier to travel non-stop to or from the Ottawa International Airport, and while that in itself is good news, the influx of new routes has other advantages, officials say.
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It’s becoming easier to travel non-stop to or from the Ottawa International Airport, and while that in itself is good news, the influx of new routes has other advantages, officials say.
On Monday, Porter Airlines marked the launch of two new direct routes from YOW to Miami and Phoenix. It’s the latest offering at YOW from Porter, which has become the airport’s top carrier. Joel Tkach, vice-president of business development at YOW, said Porter now operates 26 non-stop flights, “by far” the most by any airline operating in Ottawa.
In fact, the partnership with the airline is changing YOW’s role within the air travel network.
“Ottawa is turning into more of a connecting airport than we ever have been before,” he told OBJ on Monday. “Historically, only about four per cent of our passengers would make a connection to other airports. So 96 per cent would either start or end their trip in Ottawa. Now, led by Porter Airlines, that is up to about 13 per cent of passengers using us as a connecting point.”
While connecting passengers don’t necessarily travel into the city, Tkach said they help make routes more successful.
“It fills up the rest of the plane to make the route commercially viable,” he said. “With that connecting traffic, it enables the route to be economically viable or to operate more frequently, which actually serves our market.”
YOW has seen increases in flight routes and capacity since the pandemic, with airlines such as WestJet and Air Canada, as well as Porter, introducing new direct flights across Canada, to the U.S. and to sun destinations like Mexico and the Bahamas.
WestJet has been courting business travellers by upping domestic seat capacity out of Ottawa for 2025, including increasing service to Calgary and Edmonton, as part of its strategy.
Overseas offerings are also on the rise. Air France’s non-stop route between YOW and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport took flight in 2023, while Air Canada launched a transatlantic route in March 2025, flying four times a week to London Heathrow Airport. Air Transat recently announced plans to fly from Ottawa to London Gatwick Airport starting May 15, 2026.
“Perhaps a little bit of the Goldilocks effect is that we’re not so big that we have large airport-type congestion problems, but we’re not so small that we don’t have the services that you need,” Tkach said. “But we can’t rest on our laurels, either, especially with this expanded traffic.”
Tkach said YOW intends to lean into its growing reputation as a connecting facility, which means understanding what changes need to be made to keep up with growing demand.
He added that the airport has the advantage of 90 acres of developable land available, something large airports often lack. He said YOW is “engaged in conversations” with potential and existing partners that need access to an airport and have an interest in expanding.
Last week, Porter announced that its route to Cancun, Mexico will continue operating throughout the summer. And in May, it will start flying to Kelowna, B.C., five times a week, increase capacity on its Winnipeg flight, and fly daily to Sudbury and Windsor.
“Ottawa is a very strong partner for us and really what it comes down to is that we’re looking to give people in the Ottawa area exactly what they’re looking for,” Brent Card, vice-president of flight operations for Porter, told OBJ. “When you see that kind of uptake and interest as you launch these new routes, it gives you the confidence to continue adding more.”
Card said the carrier intends to continue expanding at YOW. Though if demand continues to increase, that might require some creativity.
“We're going to look very closely at the success of different routes,” he said. “We’re going to think outside the box. We’re going to continue to provide options. We’re going to do that in a responsible and measured way, but we’ve been really, really happy with the response so far. Ottawa’s been great for us.”
