Summer Flight Delays Plunge 85% at Canada’s Major Airports: Nav Canada

Nav Canada says the improvement in flight delays reported midway through the summer travel season continued through the end of August, with delays dropping approximately 85% year over year at Canada’s four largest airports.

From May 1 through Aug. 31, the share of scheduled flights affected by a traffic management initiative where Nav Canada staffing or equipment was a factor fell from 1.54 percent in 2025 to 0.24 percent this year across Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Montréal-Trudeau (YUL), Calgary (YEG) and Vancouver (YVR) international airports.

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"In May, we said our team was ready. In July, the results showed they were. Today we can say they upheld that standard through the most demanding stretch of the year," said Marie-Pier Berman, Vice President and Chief of Operations at NAV CANADA.

"Our teams at Canada's major airports delivered approximately 85 per cent fewer NAV CANADA-attributable delays compared to the same period last year. NAV CANADA's air traffic controllers, flight service specialists and support teams across the country stepped up, shift after shift, and the credit is theirs."

Vancouver, Calgary See Biggest Improvements

According to the report, Vancouver saw the largest decline, with the share of impacted scheduled flights dropping from 4.42 percent in 2025 to 0.64 percent in 2026.

Calgary recorded the largest proportional improvement, falling from 1.16 percent to 0.05 percent.

Traffic management initiatives attributed specifically to Nav Canada staffing were down 65% across the four airports compared with last summer.

The improvement came despite slightly busier skies. Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver handled a combined 394,919 flights between May 1 and Aug. 31, up 0.9 percent from 391,245 during the same period in 2025.

Staffing Gap Narrows

Nav Canada attributes the summer results in part to measures introduced ahead of the peak travel season, including targeted scheduling and incentive programs at air traffic control facilities, temporarily returning some employees in non-operational roles to frontline duties and maintaining contracts with more than 50 rehired retired controllers.

The organization has also been adding newly qualified air traffic services professionals. More than 600 have qualified since 2023, while training schools continue to operate at increased capacity.

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Nav Canada says its controller staffing gap narrowed to approximately 170 positions below target as of Aug. 31, compared with about 200 in the spring.

The summer plan also included technology investments, including Arrival Manager systems at all Area Control Centres.

Focus Shifts to Fall and Winter

Nav Canada says it will continue peak-period staffing at its busiest facilities while coordinating daily demand and capacity with airlines, airports and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Newly licensed controllers will also continue to enter the system as they complete training.

"A season like this one is not a finish line," said Berman.

"The staffing rebuild continues, the fall and winter bring their own demands, and readiness has never meant promising that no disruption will ever occur. It means having the people, processes and technology to manage whatever comes, safely and transparently. This summer, our people showed what that looks like."

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