International Traffic Up, Domestic Down, at Toronto & Montreal Airports

To heck with Canada; we’d much rather travel internationally.

Data released by YYZ and YUL show dramatic increases in international traffic for the first half of 2024, but slight decreases in domestic traffic.

YUL said its international pax numbers rose 12.4% in the first six months of this year, while transborder traffic jumped 12.9%.

YYZ didn’t release transborder numbers, but said international pax numbers rose 10.2% for the first half of the year compared to 2023.

Domestic numbers at YUL dropped 0.4% versus last year, while domestic traffic out of YYZ fell 1.1%.

In total, YUL said it flew 10.6 million pax in the first half of the year, up 8.6% from last year. YYZ said it flew 22.6 million pax in the first six months of 2024, up 6.2% from last year.

“The summer season is particularly busy at YUL, with many destinations awaiting passengers, and to cope with this record traffic alternative measures are now being offered to customers to improve access to the site,” said Yves Beauchamp, President and CEO of Montréal-Trudeau International Airport.

“To help alleviate congestion during peak periods, they can now take advantage of our two express drop-off zones, as well as the 40-minute free period being offered at most YUL parking lots until the end of September 2024.”

“Travel demand is strong and expected to surpass prior record levels. We are performing well and preparing for future growth, delivering efficient operations while maintaining financial prudence,” said Deborah Flint, President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which runs YYZ.

“So far this year, we have hit our targets for passenger growth and revenue. We continue to build resiliency in our operations by implementing new standards for our partners and by prioritizing initiatives that will enhance airport experiences for our passengers, partners and agencies.

“These projects include airside pavement restoration, new baggage-handling infrastructure, border modernization initiatives, fleet equipment revitalization, international customs arrival kiosks, and other strategic programs aimed at revitalizing aging assets and accommodating increasing passenger activity,” said Flint.