The big passenger traveler terminals in Canada are well-known worldwide. What about the cargo airport sector of the nation, though?
Did you know much about the Canadian freight airport before reading this article?
The majority of Canadian airlines route their customers via the country’s multiple Canadian hubs, which include Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Montreal Trudeau Airport, and Calgary International. Is this the case, however, for Canadian shipping operations? Which airports are the busiest in terms of freight?
Let’s have a look and see.
They are dispersed around the nation.
According to statistics available on Statista, it is not unexpected that Canadian cities with the busiest cargo airports are located in the country’s most populous regions. Naturally, they are also the country’s most populous cities. There is, however, one unexpected surprise tossed in as well.
The following are the top five airports in terms of cargo traffic (in metric tons) in 2020, as well as their 2020 cargo traffic figures:
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ): 303,000t
Vancouver International Airport (YVR): 232,600 metric tons
121,800 tonnes at Hamilton International (YHM)
Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport (YUL): 81,400t
as well as Calgary International (YYC): 79,500 tonnes
As you can see from the list, the order nearly corresponds to the order of the major cities in Canada. However, there are a few surprises tossed in for good measure:
Despite the fact that Montreal is the country’s second-largest metropolis, it was placed fourth in terms of cargo traffic in 2020. Because of Vancouver’s strategic significance as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific area, this is very likely the case.
Despite the fact that Hamilton is Canada’s ninth biggest city, its airport ranks third in terms of cargo traffic. This is owing to the fact that it is located on the outskirts of the Greater Toronto Area (or its presence within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area). As a result of its proximity to Toronto, as well as reduced costs and fewer congestion, Hamilton would be an excellent location for new operations servicing the Toronto region.
Connecting Canada to the rest of the globe
Despite the fact that we do not have accurate figures and quantities for cargo traffic flying out of Canada, we do know a few of the most common routes that are currently in use. Indeed, when we look at the weekly schedule of Air Canada Cargo widebody flights, we can observe that two of the most popular destinations across the world are Frankfurt (Germany) and Shanghai (China) (China).
Each of these cities receives seven cargo-only flights each week from Air Canada. While it does not yet have its own specialized freighters, it is on the verge of becoming so.
According to reports, Air Canada Cargo announced towards the end of January 2022 that it has boosted handling capacity at its Frankfurt hub by 35%. These preparations were made in advance of the introduction of service to the airport by the airline’s new Boeing 767-300ER freighters later this year.
“This marks a substantial improvement for Air Canada Cargo in Frankfurt, a facility that is critical to the company’s worldwide operations. Because of the expected introduction of regular freighter flights into this vital hub, it will further boost our capabilities as we ramp up our operations, as well as in the future “At Air Canada Cargo, John Lloyd serves as the Regional Director for Europe, the Middle East, and India.
Besides Miami, Quito, Lima, Mexico City, and Guadalajara will be served by Air Canada’s newly-converted 767-300 freighters this year, according to the airline. This year, the airline will expand its service to include new destinations such as Madrid, Halifax, and St. John’s, among others. This will take place after the second 767-300F is delivered to the airport.
Besides passenger and cargo flights, WestJet also has a cargo business that transports freight across its Canadian network as well as to locations in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe.