Thunder Bay International Airport Statistics

Thunder Bay Airport handles around 775,000 passengers annually.

• The airport welcomed 777,284 passengers in 2025, up 6.8% from 2024.
• Pre-pandemic traffic peaked at 869,404 passengers in 2018 then fell to 292,865 in 2020.
• Traffic rebounded to 316,025 in 2021 then surged to approximately 581,095 in 2022, an 84% jump, and 714,070 in 2023, followed by 728,077 in 2024.

Thunder Bay Airport manages around 100,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings each year.

• Thunder Bay Airport recorded 101,964 total aircraft movements in 2025, a 2% increase from 99,932 movements in 2024.
• Before the pandemic, 108,130 aircraft operations were recorded in 2017 and 107,454 in 2019, which dropped sharply to 68,775 in 2020 and 81,637 in 2021 due to the pandemic.
• Recovery began with 88,524 operations in 2022 and surged to 107,594 operations in 2023 before moderating to 99,932 in 2024.

• Porter Airlines is one of the most prominent scheduled operators at Thunder Bay Airport.
• Air Canada remains a major scheduled carrier at Thunder Bay, with regular service to Toronto Pearson.
• WestJet provides western Canadian connectivity from Thunder Bay. WestJet serves Winnipeg and has operated Calgary service from Thunder Bay.
• Regional carriers including Bearskin Airlines and Wasaya Airways provide essential service to remote northern communities like Sioux Lookout.

• May was the busiest month in 2025 with 11,567 aircraft movements, followed by June with 10,891 movements.
• July (10,491) and March (10,170) also witnessed strong activity as summer operations ramped up.
• On the other hand, January (5,733) saw the lowest aircraft movement number.

• Thunder Bay Airport (YQT) had 10 scheduled nonstop passenger routes/destinations as of 2025.
• These destinations included Toronto Pearson, Toronto Billy Bishop, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Calgary, Sioux Lookout, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Fort Hope, and Webequie.

• Sioux Lookout (YXL) leads as the busiest route with approximately 199 monthly flights, serving as the "Northern Gateway" primarily via Bearskin and Wasaya Airways.
• Billy Bishop Toronto City (YTZ) follows with roughly 131 monthly flights via Porter Airlines, catering specifically to business travelers heading to downtown Toronto.
• Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) maintains strong service with around 116 monthly flights operated by Air Canada, Porter, and Flair, providing connections to the global Star Alliance network.
• Sault Ste. Marie (YAM) serves as an important regional link with about 50 monthly flights.
• Winnipeg (YWG) completes the top five destinations with 38 monthly flights.

Note: The number of monthly flights varies seasonally.

Thunder Bay Airport serves as a critical cargo hub for Northern Ontario, functioning as the primary transshipment point for remote fly-in communities.

• Thunder Bay Airport processed 1,877.6 tonnes of cargo in 2024, representing a 4.5% increase from 2023.
• Pre-pandemic cargo volumes reached 1,661.3 tonnes in 2019, showing slight decline to 1,638.1 tonnes in 2020 despite the pandemic.
• Cargo operations showed strong growth from 2021, rising from 1,712.8 tonnes to 2,112.2 tonnes in 2022 before moderating to 1,797.2 tonnes in 2023 and 1,877.6 tonnes in 2024.

Thunder Bay airport generates approximately CAD$15 million in revenue each year.

• The airport set a revenue record in 2025 at CAD$16.5 million, up 9.3% from CAD$15.1 million in 2024.
• Revenue totaled CAD$12.9 million in 2019, but dropped sharply to CAD$8.9 million in 2020 due to the pandemic.
• It then recovered to CAD$9.3 million in 2021, CAD$11.6 million in 2022, and CAD$14.2 million in 2023 before reaching record levels in 2024.

• Thunder Bay charges no Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) to departing passengers, a significant competitive advantage over most Canadian airports.
• This CAD$0 departure fee contrasts with typical CAD$25–35 charges at other airports, keeping ticket prices lower for the price-sensitive medical and Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) markets.
• Parking revenue helps offset this: Short-term parking costs CAD$40/day while long-term parking is CAD$18.50/day (2024 rates).

Thunder Bay Airport is aligned with the City's Net Zero Strategy:

• Energy Intensity: 8.39 MWh (2025).
• Carbon Intensity: 1.20 kg per passenger (2025).
• Initiatives: LED lighting conversion, gradual electrification of ground support equipment, and new composting programs in the terminal.

• The airport operates a dual-runway configuration: Runway 07/25 (7,318 feet) and Runway 12/30 (5,297 feet).
• Ornge, the largest air ambulance and critical care land ambulance fleet in Canada, lists a Thunder Bay Base at 2027 Derek Burney Drive, alongside other Northwestern Ontario bases such as Kenora and Sioux Lookout¹.
• Confederation College's Aviation Centre of Excellence is located on the airport site, on the north side of Runway 25, and operates a 13-aircraft Cessna 172 training fleet².