Ottawa Airport Sees The Most Passengers Of The Year & Is Working On More Direct Flights
The airport aims to amp up international flights too.
Ottawa International Airport.
Travellers are frequenting the Ottawa International Airport more and more this month. On June 3, the airport saw the most passengers of the year, surpassing a previous high earlier in June.
On Friday, June 3, the airport saw about 5,500 departing passengers, an event airport officials are calling a "blip" from average numbers.
"We're settling back into more of a robust domestic network that's going to support increases in leisure travel this summer," said Krista Kealey, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs of the Ottawa International Airport Authority.
Since Friday, travellers departing from the airport have settled back to around 5,000 each day. Kealey says that the total number of people passing through the airport is double that number, around 10,000 each day. In 2021, the airport saw a total of 1.171 million passengers.
Kealey says that the Ottawa International Airport has added American destinations like New York and Washington. "We're going to see the airlines add capacity and routes over the coming months and we're looking very forward to that," she said.
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Airport officials say they are hoping to add some international flights like Paris, France; London, England; and Frankfurt, Germany. After more strict COVID-19 rules ended, international flights are no longer restricted to Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, but airlines are continuing to focus on those airports, making Ottawa airport a feeder airport.
On average, Ottawa serves those airports about 30 times a day, Kealey says. So, the Ottawa airport is also working on increasing direct flights.
"In our long view, we will not be satisfied playing this feeder role for decades to come," said Mark Laroche, President and CEO of the Airport Authority, in a press release. "To counteract this, we need airline partners who see Ottawa-Gatineau as a priority market, deserving of appropriate air service for a market our size."
Kealey adds that when travellers ensure that they make a stop at the Ottawa airport, instead of travelling to other airports, they could help demonstrate the airport's demand for international flights.
To do so, airport officials say they aim to get appropriate aircrafts, like the 182-seat Airbus A321NEO-XLR, and increase third-party funding.
Laroche estimates that the Ottawa airport would need about $15 million to remain competitive and to land more international flights.