MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 02/24/14 -- Aeroports de Montreal (ADM) wishes to set the record straight regarding air services at Montreal-Trudeau and its ranking among Canadian airports. Objective, verifiable data clearly establish that Montreal-Trudeau is a dynamic airport with continuous growth in traffic and an array of connections that is also increasing all the time.
"Montreal-Trudeau has never been in a healthier position since passenger traffic was consolidated there in late 2004," said James Cherry, President and CEO, ADM. "In fact, Montreal-Trudeau has significantly enhanced its role as a hub, as shown by its connecting-traffic share, which rose to 16% in 2013," he added.
This summer, for example, travellers will enjoy an unmatched array of flight options, especially to European destinations. Direct flights will be available from Montreal to no less than 28 European cities, which places Montreal-Trudeau fourth among all North American airports. Montreal-Paris remains the best-served international route outbound from Canada, with up to seven daily flights to either Charles de Gaulle or Orly.
In 2014, Montreal-Trudeau will welcome two new carriers, Turkish Airlines and Copa Airlines, offering year-round direct flights to and from Istanbul and Panama City, respectively. In addition, Aeroports de Montreal will soon be confirming the arrival of a third new airline that will fly direct to Tunis.
Overall, Montreal-Trudeau has direct-flight connections to more than 130 destinations worldwide, including winter-season destinations, ranking it second among Canadian airports for the number of direct destinations.
ADM is forecasting solid growth in its passenger traffic in 2014. Traffic through Montreal-Trudeau grew by 2.1% in 2013, reaching 14.1 million enplaned and deplaned passengers. Between 2003 and 2013, traffic at the airport posted sustained growth, totalling 57.2% compared to 46.0% for Toronto and 25.5% for Vancouver, for example.
It is worth noting that Montreal-Trudeau ranks number one in Canada for international traffic-i.e., excluding flights to and from the U.S. It accounts for 38% of the airport's total, versus only 9% for Calgary, 23% for Vancouver and 33% for Toronto. Montreal-Trudeau is an emphatically international airport, while Calgary is a mainly domestic airport.
"One should always be careful with comparisons," Cherry noted, adding: "For example, while it's true that Calgary outranks Montreal in terms of total traffic by a few tens of thousands of passengers per year, it's important to consider that the domestic-traffic share of Calgary's total exceeds 70%. A major reason for Calgary's rapid growth in recent years has been the oil sands boom, which does nothing to detract from Montreal's success."
For geographical and demographic reasons, Montreal-Trudeau's air services are geared more toward the European markets, as well as the Middle East and Northern Africa. Montreal-Trudeau is the only airport in Canada with direct connections to Morocco and Algeria, with Tunisia soon to join that mix.
"ADM continues to seek opportunities to enhance its air services, as evidenced by the arrival of Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Copa. We are pursuing our efforts with the business community and air carriers to add direct service to Asian and South American destinations, and we are confident that those efforts will be rewarded soon," Cherry concluded.
About Aeroports de Montreal
Aeroports de Montreal is the local airport authority that has been responsible for the management, operation and development of Montreal-Trudeau and Montreal-Mirabel international airports since 1992. The Corporation employs more than 650 people at the two airports.
For more information about Aeroports de Montreal and its activities, visit www.admtl.com.
Contacts:
Source:
Christiane Beaulieu
Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communications
514 394-7304
