The Government of Canada and industry partners continue to take action and make progress in reducing wait times at Canada’s largest airports.

August 5, 2022 Ottawa Transportation Canada

The Minister of Transport, the Honorable Omar Alghabra, the Minister of Health, the Honorable Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister of Public Security, the Honorable Marco Mendicino, and the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, the Honorable Randy Boissonnault, issued this update today. on the continued action and progress made by the Government of Canada and industry partners to reduce traveler wait times and delays at Canadian airports.

latest data

Waiting times for passenger security control

• From August 1-3, 86% of passengers were screened within 15 minutes by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), an improvement from 84% the previous week (July 25-31).
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport: 86 percent from August 1 to 3.
  • Vancouver International Airport: 84 percent from August 1 to 3.
  • Montreal-Trudeau International Airport: 89 percent from August 1 to 3.
  • Calgary International Airport: 87 percent from August 1 to 3.

Passenger travel volumes

Arrivals at all Canadian airports

• For the week of July 25 to 31:
  • Daily average of just over 90,000 passengers arriving across borders or abroad.
    • This is about 4,000 more passengers than the previous week.

Departures from all Canadian airports

• For the week of July 25 to 31:
  • Daily average of more than 165,000 passengers.
    • This is approximately 13,500 more passengers than the previous week.

Aircraft retention at Toronto Pearson International Airport

• The number of aircraft held on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport has dropped dramatically since early May.
  • During the week of July 25-31, 19 aircraft remained on the runway compared to a peak of 373 for the week of May 23-29, 2022.

Government and industry actions

The Government of Canada and airline industry partners continue to take steps to increase resources and streamline processes across the aviation system to ease airport congestion and help travelers keep moving, including:

Collaboration with airline industry partners

• Minister Alghabra continues to meet with senior leaders at airports and airlines of all sizes across the country to ensure ongoing collaboration and ongoing action that will help reduce delays and keep travelers moving.
  • This week, the Minister met with the Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Alejandro Mayorkas, to discuss actions related to airport delays, including the way forward to reduce waiting times at pre-clearance locations. in Canada for departures from the US and the need to reopen the NEXUS and FAST enrollment centers and urgently process the backlog of applications.
  • Minister Alghabra also met this week with the leaders of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, Air Canada and WestJet to discuss the recovery of the airline industry and the solutions they are implementing to reduce waiting times for their travelers, and the actions taken. to continue to reduce the number of delayed or canceled flights, and reduce the number of lost luggage.
  • The Minister has met with the leaders of more than 10 airports across the country in recent weeks, including Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg. These important meetings will continue in the future.
• Transport Canada continues to meet regularly with airports and airlines in conjunction with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and NAV CANADA to find out solutions and address congestion problems. affecting travel.

Increase staffing for security checks and customs procedures

• Since April, more than 1,600 CATSA screening officers have been hired across Canada.
• The number of screening officers at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport now exceeds 100 percent of summer target levels. Efforts continue to increase the staffing levels of control officers at all airports, including Montreal-Trudeau International Airport and Calgary International Airport.
• CBSA is making more Border Services Officers available at the busiest airports, has temporarily rehired retired officers, and has hired more student Border Services Officers.

Streamlining of customs procedures at Toronto Pearson International Airport

• The Greater Toronto Airports Authority and the CBSA added 10 new eGates and 30 more primary inspection kiosks at Toronto Pearson International Airport during the last week of July.
• The CBSA continues to monitor and prepare for peak arrival times to maximize efficiency and ensure a smoother, more efficient flow of passengers through airports.
  

Information resource for passengers experiencing flight delays, cancellations, and lost or delayed baggage

• The Canadian Transportation Agency developed a information resource to help passengers who are experiencing problems during their journey.
• This guide answers many frequently asked travel questions and advises passengers on their rights under the Air Passenger Protection Regulation in case your flights are delayed or cancelled, or in case of loss, damage or delay of your baggage.
• We also expect airlines to increase communication with passengers in advance when their flights are delayed or cancelled.

Improving ArriveCAN

• ArriveCAN is required for all travelers entering Canada, with limited exceptions. If not completed, travelers can expect additional delays and may be subject to fines depending on the quarantine law.
• The Government of Canada continues to make improvements to ArriveCAN to make it faster and easier for travelers to use.
  • Travelers arriving at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver or Montréal-Trudeau International Airports can save time by using the optional Advance CBSA Declaration feature in ArriveCAN to submit their immigration and customs declaration prior to arrival.
  • In the coming months, the optional feature will also be available to travelers arriving at Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Billy Bishop Toronto City, Ottawa, Québec City and Halifax international airports.
  • Early usage data from Toronto Pearson and Vancouver airports indicates that use of the optional advance CBSA declaration reduces the amount of time a traveler spends at a kiosk by approximately one-third. With thousands of travelers arriving at Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal airports each day, using the optional CBSA Advance Declaration has the potential to save hours of waiting.