NAV CANADA reported a 91 percent year-over-year decrease in flight delays caused by its staffing or equipment at Toronto Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau, Calgary and Vancouver international airports between May 1 and July 7, 2026.
Flight volumes at these four airports were mostly stable with a 0.9 percent overall decrease during this period, while Toronto Pearson saw a 2.0 percent increase. Vancouver International Airport experienced a drop in the share of flights affected by NAV CANADA-related delays from 4.99 percent in 2025 to 0.34 percent in 2026.
World Cup Airspace Restrictions and Operational Impact
During the FIFA World Cup matches held from June 12 to July 7, 2026, in
Toronto and Vancouver, NAV CANADA, in coordination with Transport Canada, implemented temporary airspace restrictions and Prior Permission Required protocols. These measures narrowed usable airspace over the host cities due to increased security demands.
Throughout the 13 match days, no NAV CANADA traffic management initiatives contributed to flight delays at Toronto Pearson or Vancouver International Airport. The only traffic management delays recorded during that timeframe were routine arrival sequencing at Vancouver and a single weather-related ground stop in Toronto. Overall, NAV CANADA-associated traffic management initiatives decreased by nearly 75 percent year-over-year across the four airports for the summer season.
Operational Readiness and Staffing Enhancements
NAV CANADA’s
improved performance is attributed to its readiness plan that includes staffing at the highest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic, targeted scheduling, incentive programs for air traffic control facilities, and technology upgrades such as the deployment of Arrival Manager systems at all Area Control Centres.
Since 2023, over 600 air traffic services professionals were licensed, and staffing growth from 2024 to 2025 exceeded attrition by 26 percent, marking the strongest net growth post-pandemic. The company continued engagement of retired controllers and temporarily reassigned operational managers to frontline air traffic duties.
Marie-Pier Berman, Vice President and Chief of Operations at NAV CANADA,
stated, “In May, we said our team was ready. The results show they were. Our air traffic controllers, flight service specialists and support teams absorbed some of the highest traffic increases in North America during this period and kept it moving safely. This is what more than a year of preparation looks like when it meets the moment, and the credit belongs to our people.”
Flight Traffic Volume Increases in Canadian Airspace
Third-party data from Aireon, the space-based surveillance provider, indicated flight traffic through the Montréal flight information region rose nearly 11 percent in June 2026 compared with June 2025, ranking among the largest increases in North
America. Additionally, NAV CANADA-managed airspace regions such as Gander and Moncton were among three of the top 15 North American flight volume growth areas in June.
Ongoing Summer Measures Through Labour Day
NAV CANADA reaffirmed that all summer readiness measures remain active through Labour Day 2026 to manage expected peak demand and convective weather challenges in August. These include maintaining peak-period staffing, daily coordination with airlines, airport authorities, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and continuing to integrate controllers newly licensed from training programs operating at record capacity.
Berman added, “A strong first half of the summer is exactly that, a first half. August is historically the
most demanding stretch of the season, and our teams are approaching it with the same discipline they brought to the World Cup. Readiness has never meant promising that no disruption will ever occur. It means having the people, processes and technology to manage whatever the season brings, safely and transparently, and it is our people who carry that readiness into every shift.”
