NAV CANADA reported a roughly 85% year-over-year decline in flight delays caused by its operations at Canada’s four busiest airports—Toronto Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau, Calgary International, and Vancouver International—from May 1 to August 31, 2026.
The share of scheduled flights affected by NAV CANADA staffing or equipment issues dropped from 1.54% in 2025 to 0.24% in 2026 across the four airports. Vancouver International Airport achieved the largest absolute decrease, with impacted flights falling from 4.42% in 2025 to 0.64% in 2026. Calgary International Airport posted the largest proportional improvement, decreasing from 1.16% to 0.05%. During the same period, these airports handled 394,919
flights, a 0.9% increase over 391,245 flights in 2025. Traffic management measures linked to NAV CANADA staffing dropped by 65% year over year across the four locations.
NAV CANADA attributed the improvements to its operational readiness plan, which included employing more air traffic services professionals than at any time since the COVID-19 pandemic, targeted summer scheduling and incentive programs, the temporary redeployment of non-operational staff to frontline roles, rehiring over 50 retired controllers, and investments in technology such as Arrival Manager systems at all Area Control Centres. Over 600 air traffic services professionals have qualified since 2023, with training schools
operating at record capacity. The controller staffing shortfall narrowed from approximately 200 below target in spring 2026 to about 170 by August 31.
Marie-Pier Berman, Vice President and Chief of Operations at NAV CANADA, stated, “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.” She added that staffing efforts will continue into the fall and winter, emphasizing readiness as having the resources, processes, and technology to manage disruptions safely and transparently rather than eliminating them entirely.
Despite typical
summer convective weather and peak travel demand, NAV CANADA’s air traffic control teams managed traffic efficiently without reversing gains. Their strategies ensured safety and reduced delay impacts while maintaining operational capacity.
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company established in 1996 operating air traffic control and related services for over 18 million square kilometres of Canadian airspace. It is internationally recognized for safety and technological innovation in air traffic management.
