The US visitor slump shows no signs of ending just yet, as yearly figures show transborder air passenger traffic to the US from Canada dropped 7.5% from 2024 to 2025.
The Statistics Canada data shows year-over-year declines at seven of the eight largest Canadian airports for 2025. Only Halifax/Robert L. Stanfield International airport bucked the trend with a 6.1% increase over the last year.
Overall, total transborder passenger counts for the eight largest airports were down 6.5% from 2019.
Open Jaw has extensively reported on the decline in travel to the US, with political tensions and border security requirements causing some travellers to look elsewhere.
The StatCan data shows US loss may be Canada's gain, with international (outside the US) screened passenger counts 6.0% higher for Canadian airports than in 2024. The eight largest airports all saw year-over-year increases.
The figures highlight the international sector's help in leading Canada's travel recovery post-pandemic, with volumes up 14.6% compared to 2019.
The data also shows domestic Canadian travel grew 5.4% year-over-year in 2025, surpassing 2019 levels by 5.9%. All eight of the largest Canadian airports reported higher domestic volumes for 2025 compared to 2024.
The StatCan figures include monthly numbers for December, showing a 12.5% drop in transborder traffic from Canada to the US compared with December 2024. The drop, during a traditionally busy travel month, marks the 11th consecutive month of year-over-year decreases.
Canada's eight largest airports all saw double-digit declines in December 2025 compared with December 2024. StatCan said 90% of transborder traffic for December was concentrated at four of Canada's largest airports.
The four airports all recorded year-over-year decreases in screened passengers for US flights: Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International (-11.3%), Vancouver International (-14.1%), Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International (-10.5%) and Calgary International (-13.6%).
