News

With the summer travel season complete, NAV CANADA today reported that the sharp year-over-year improvement in service delivery it recorded at mid-season held through the end of August, closing the loop on the operational readiness plan for the summer of 2026.

“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.”

Fewer Delays, All Summer Long

From May 1 to August 31, the share of scheduled flights impacted by a traffic management initiative where NAV CANADA staffing or equipment was a factor fell close to 85 per cent year over year across Toronto Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau, Calgary and Vancouver international airports. The proportion of scheduled flights impacted fell from 1.54 per cent in 2025 to 0.24 per cent in 2026.

Each of the four airports recorded an improvement. The largest absolute gain was at Vancouver International Airport, where the share of impacted scheduled flights fell from 4.42 per cent in 2025 to 0.64 per cent in 2026, and the largest proportional improvement was at Calgary International Airport, from 1.16 per cent to 0.05 per cent. Traffic management initiatives attributable to NAV CANADA staffing across the four airports were down 65 per cent from 2025, with fewer at each airport.

These gains are not a function of quieter skies. The four airports handled 394,919 flights between May 1 and August 31, compared with 391,245 over the same period in 2025, representing a small increase of 0.9 per cent.

A Full Season, Not just a Snapshot

When NAV CANADA published its report on the first half of the season on July 22, it described it as exactly what it was: a strong first half. August brought what it usually brings: the year’s most convective weather and sustained peak demand at every major facility. The year-over-year improvement recorded during the World Cup continued through the second half of the travel season, and every measure outlined in the summer readiness plan remained in place through the Labour Day period, as committed.

Why Performance Improved

The results reflect the readiness plan NAV CANADA outlined on May 19: more air traffic services professionals in the system than at any point since the pandemic, targeted summer scheduling and incentive measures at air traffic control facilities, the temporary return of staff working in non-operational positions to frontline duties, continued contracts with more than 50 rehired retired controllers, and technology investments such as Arrival Manager systems at all Area Control Centres. Since 2023, more than 600 air traffic services professionals have qualified, and NAV CANADA’s training schools continue to run at record capacity.

These efforts also narrowed the controller staffing gap over the season, to approximately 170 controllers below target as of August 31, from approximately 200 in the spring. The training pipeline remains the core of NAV CANADA’s staffing strategy, with newly licensed controllers continuing to qualify.

Focus for the Fall and Winter

Planning for the months ahead is built with the same discipline that carried the summer: peak-period coverage at the busiest facilities, daily demand and capacity coordination with airlines, airports and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and the continued integration of newly licensed controllers graduating from training programs at record capacity. Above all, it rests on the same people. The professionalism and dedication of NAV CANADA's air traffic controllers, flight service specialists and the teams that support them carried the summer, and they will carry the months ahead.

“A season like this one is not a finish line,” said Ms. 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.”