Passenger traffic - Air Canada 2011-2021

Air Canada carried more passengers each year for the last decade, reaching a record of 51.54 million in 2019. This value dropped significantly in 2021, amounting to 13.2 million passengers.

Air Canada

Air Canada is the national carrier of Canada, being founded by the Canadian government in 1937. The airline was fully privatized in 1989 and in 2001 acquired Canada’s then second largest airline – Canadian Airlines – to become the dominant airline in the Canadian market. The company experienced financial difficulties throughout the 2000’s and into the 2010’s but has consolidated their financial position in recent years, recording strong revenue growth in 2018 and 2019. Based on market value, in 2019 Air Canada was the 16th largest airline in the world.

Air travel in Canada

The two main airlines in the Canadian market are Air Canada and low-cost carrier WestJet, who held domestic market shares of 46 percent and 34 percent respectively in 2018. In terms of passenger numbers, WestJet historically carries around half as many as Air Canada. This discrepancy can be explained by the far greater range of international destinations offered by Air Canada. However, the number of customer complaints received about Air Canada is disproportionately, coming in at 1,997 in 2019 – compared to 369 for WestJet.