Canada’s 25 airports ranked, from best to worst

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All 25 of Canada’s airports were ranked from best to worst based on convenience and the availability of amenities — none managing to score above 75 per cent.

Each airport received a score from 0 to 100 based on six factors: direct flight destinations, lounges, dining facilities, operating airlines, on-site car rental and hotels within a three-kilometre radius. How many yearly passengers go through each airport was also factored in.

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The worst place to fly out of was determined to be New Brunswick’s Saint John Airport. The airport lacks a lounge, has one food option and only three direct outbound flight destinations.

With a score of 22.36 points out of 100, Regina International Airport did only slightly better. It received more than 7 million passengers in 2022 and has four dining facilities, one lounge and 17 direct flight destinations.

With no lounge and one diner as a food option, Nunavut’s airport was the fifth worst. That was enough to beat Fredericton International and Prince George Airport, ranked third and fourth worst respectively.

“Reports have found that in 2022, nearly 117.3 million passengers boarded and disembarked planes at Canadian airports,” Mike Hunter, founder of the study’s publisher, CasinoHunter, said in a statement. “It is important for airports to be well-connected to various destinations, particularly Canadian ones.”

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Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport ranked the best, scoring 72 out of 100. The airport has a lounge and five different dining facilities, and its reviews are great on Google. It received just under a million passengers in 2022 and has 15 hotels nearby.

“I have been using it for years and it’s come along way. It’s nice and new. Easy to get around and nice spacious gates,” one positive review says.

Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, scoring 69.20 out of 100, ranked second best. It has 12 airlines operating and 34 direct destinations for 1.1 million annual passengers.

St. John’s International Airport, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and Thunder Bay International Airport rounded out the top five.

Toronto Pearson, Canada’s busiest airport, scored 52, placing it sixth. The airport received close to 35 million passengers in 2022. It has 91 dining locations, 25 hotels nearby and 196 direct outbound destinations.

But not every methodolgy is created the same, and that’s reflected in the score of at least one major airport.

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Vancouver International Airport, winner of 2024’s Skytrax World Airport Awards for the best airport in North America based on customer satisfaction, ranked 8th on this list with a score of 51.08. It landed just behind Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, which scored 51.65.

The best and worst Canadian airports

1. Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport (YXE) 72.11

2. Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) 69.20

3. St. John’s International Airport (YYT) 60.96

4. Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) 52.66

5. Thunder Bay International Airport (YQT) 52.48

6. Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) 52.33

7. Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) 51.65

8. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) 51.08

9. Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG) 49.48

10. Greater Moncton International Airport (YQM) 47.93

11. Calgary International Airport (YYC) 47.81

12. Edmonton International Airport (YEG) 47.49

13. Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) 47.40

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14. Yellowknife Airport (YZF) 44.21

15. London International Airport (YXU) 37.62

16. Victoria International Airport (YYJ) 35.67

17. Gander International Airport (YQX) 33.57

18. Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY) 32.62

19. Charlottetown Airport (YYG) 30.41

20. Kelowna International Airport (YLW) 29.10

21. Iqaluit Airport (YFB) 28.27

22. Prince George Airport (YXS) 27.92

23. Fredericton International Airport (YFC) 25.79

24. Regina International Airport (YQR) 22.3625. Saint John Airport (YSJ) 22.08

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