7 million passengers flying to nearly 60 U.S. cities

For travellers to the United States, Toronto Pearson offers the tremendous advantage of pre-clearance in our terminals by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Last year, seven million people flew to the nearly 60 U.S. cities served by our carriers, making Pearson the fourth largest U.S. port of entry by air.

This pre-clearance capability, which dates from the early 1950s, reflects a broader tradition of political and economic cooperation that has characterized Canada-U.S. relations since the 19th century. But in recent years, cross-border air travel has increased significantly. Between 2012 and 2018, passenger volumes between Toronto Pearson and U.S. cities grew by 32 per cent, compared to a 26 per cent increase on routes within Canada.

There are many factors behind this continuing growth, including more economical airfares (despite the relative weakening of the Canadian dollar). But a significant driver is the further integration of economic links between the two countries. Notable trends north of the border include expansion into U.S. markets by Canadian banks and other large companies; increased exports of services such as engineering and management consulting; and higher levels of cross-border shopping via e-commerce providers like Amazon.

8% of traffic to/from North America

In 2018, eight per cent of travellers flying beyond the continent – or 16 million passengers – departed from, arrived at or connected through Toronto Pearson.

The international connection

Importantly, the increase in north-south air traffic doesn’t just reflect the fact that more Canadians are travelling to the U.S. Toronto Pearson also serves a growing number of international connecting passengers who choose our airport as the most convenient point of access to and from North America. Our proportion of connecting travellers, at about 31 per cent, is the highest among major Canadian airports. And over the past six years, that connecting traffic has grown at a much higher rate than that of our peers – and of most major U.S. hubs.

This is good news for our airline partners, of course, as well as for Toronto Pearson’s financial sustainability. But most significantly, it speaks to our airport’s growing profile as the gateway of choice for overseas travellers flying in and out of North America. And that, in turn, benefits all Canadians, who can take advantage of more frequent and wide-ranging services from carriers, not to mention the many enhancements to our facilities made possible by increased connecting traffic.

Connecting Canada to Opportunity