Halifax Stanfield International Airport Statistics

Halifax Airport handles around 4 million passengers annually.

• The airport welcomed 4.14 million passengers in 2025, up 4.0% from 2024.
• Pre-pandemic traffic reached 4.19 million passengers in 2019 then fell to 995,426 in 2020.
• Traffic rebounded to 1.08 million in 2021 then surged to 3.11 million in 2022, a 188.0% jump, and 3.58 million in 2023, followed by 3.98 million in 2024.

Halifax Airport manages around 60,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings each year.

• Halifax Airport recorded 59,440 total aircraft movements in 2025, a 3.8% increase from the previous year.
• Before the pandemic, 80,524 aircraft operations were recorded in 2019, which dropped to 35,207 in 2020 and 32,315 in 2021 due to the pandemic.
• Recovery began with 52,063 operations in 2022, 52,318 operations in 2023, and 57,248 operations in 2024.

• Air Canada is Halifax Stanfield’s largest and longest-serving airline, with domestic and U.S. routes and year-round Halifax-London Heathrow service.
• Porter expanded significantly in 2024, becoming the airport’s second-largest airline, and now serves multiple domestic and transborder destinations.
• WestJet is also a major Halifax operator, with domestic routes and a large summer seasonal transatlantic network.
• Current listed international and transborder operators include United, American, Delta, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss, Icelandair, Air Saint-Pierre, BermudAir, and Air Transat, although several operate seasonally.

• Halifax Stanfield’s network expanded to 48 non-stop destinations in 2025, supported by new domestic, U.S., sun, and European services.
• The Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA) reported new or expanded 2025 service including WestJet routes to Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona, Edelweiss service to Zurich, Air Canada service to Nassau, new Chicago service by United and American, and Porter’s expansion to Hamilton.
• For 2026, the airport said its route map would feature 57 year-round and seasonal non-stop services, including a record 15 non-stop European services, with planned additions such as Brussels, Madrid, Copenhagen, Lisbon, and Detroit.¹

• Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) leads as the busiest route with 544 monthly flights.
• Ottawa (YOW) follows with 210 monthly flights.
• Montreal (YUL) maintains significant service with 182 monthly flights.
• St. John's (YYT) and Calgary (YYC) complete the top five destinations with 180 and 114 monthly flights respectively.

Note: The number of monthly flights can vary with time.

Halifax Airport has established itself as Atlantic Canada's primary cargo gateway, particularly renowned for seafood exports, though volumes have fluctuated in recent years.

• Halifax Airport processed 24,956 tonnes of cargo in 2024, representing a significant decline from 2023.
• Pre-pandemic cargo volumes totaled 25,120 tonnes in 2019, which increased to 26,515 tonnes in 2020.
• Cargo operations showed consistent growth from 2021 through 2023, rising from 29,796 tonnes in 2021 to 30,206 tonnes in 2022 and peaking at 33,681 tonnes in 2023 before the 2024 decline.

Halifax airport now generates over CAD$140 million in revenue annually, a level reached only since 2024.

• The airport set a revenue record in 2025 at CAD$156.8 million, up 1.6% from CAD$154.3 million in 2024.
• Revenue totaled CAD$114.4 million in 2019, but dropped sharply to CAD$41.3 million in 2020 due to the pandemic.
• It then recovered to CAD$48.2 million in 2021, CAD$111.4 million in 2022, and CAD$139.5 million in 2023.

• In March 2015, Air Canada Flight 624, an Airbus A320, struck terrain short of Runway 05 during a snowy, low-visibility approach. The aircraft was destroyed; 25 of 138 occupants were injured, but there were no fatalities.²
• In November 2018, a Sky Lease Cargo Boeing 747-412F overran Runway 14 after landing at night on a wet runway. All four occupants survived; the aircraft came to rest 270 m beyond the runway and was damaged beyond repair.²
• In October 2004, MK Airlines Flight 1602, a Boeing 747-244SF cargo aircraft, crashed during takeoff from Runway 24. All seven crew members were killed; investigators linked the accident to incorrect takeoff-performance data.²

• YHZ ranks eighth in Canada for passenger traffic and around 10th-12th for aircraft movements.
• The airport operates two runways, with the primary runway 05/23 measuring 3,200 meters (10,500 feet).
• Halifax Airport contributes approximately CAD$3.8 billion to Nova Scotia's economy and supports roughly 5,700 direct jobs on-site plus thousands more indirectly.