Travel between Ottawa and U.S. remains high: Ottawa Airport Authority

People are still flocking from Ottawa to the United States, despite increasing tension between Canada and U.S. President Donald Trump, according to data from the Ottawa Airport Authority.

Between January and June there were 406,786 trans border passengers arriving and departing from the United States and YOW. That is more than half of the 741,449 trans border passengers from all of 2024, a number that was drastically higher than 2023.

So far this year, there have been 2,389,041 trips through Ottawa, with 1,702,152 domestic and 280,103 international travellers.

Data from the airport provides an anomaly to many airports across Canada and the present narrative that Canadians are staying out of the U.S. due to mounting pressures from President Trump.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, the U.S gets more visitors from Canada each year than any other country. In 2024, that number was 20.4 million. But those numbers are dwindling according to travel data.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows there was a 22 per cent drop in land border crossings from Canada in March compared to the same month in 2024. Air Canada has said Canada-U.S. flight bookings are down about 10 per cent.

It is unclear exactly why the numbers from Ottawa are increasing, but it is safe to say that some travelers, like those who continue to winter in Florida, are contributing to the relatively stable number of flights.

– With files from Rob Gillies and Jim Morris, The Associated Press

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