Flight delays at Canada’s busiest airports — Toronto Pearson, Montreal-Trudeau, Calgary, and Vancouver International — fell by roughly 85% during the May to August 2026 period compared to the same months in 2025. These four airports handled 0.9% more flights in summer 2026 than in the previous year.
Vancouver International Airport recorded the largest decrease in delays, dropping from 4.42% of flights delayed in summer 2025 to just 0.64% in 2026. Overall, the proportion of scheduled flights delayed across the four airports declined from 1.54% in 2025 to 0.24% in 2026.
NAV Canada employed more than 2,800 air traffic service
professionals during the season. To address staffing shortfalls, the company maintained contracts with over 50 retired controllers rehired for the busy summer months and had management temporarily return to frontline air traffic duties. These measures helped narrow the controller staffing gap to about 170 below target by August 31, 2026, down from around 200 in spring 2026.
Marie-Pier Berman, NAV Canada’s Chief of Operations, credited the performance to operational teams, stating, “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.” She added that while progress
was made, “The staffing rebuild continues, the fall and winter bring their own demands, and readiness has never meant promising that no disruption will ever occur.”
Despite August typically being the most demanding month for air traffic due to hot weather and peak travel volumes, NAV Canada reported that operational performance remained steady through Labour Day 2026. The staffing gap reduction and targeted investments contributed to this sustained improvement in air traffic management during the summer season.
