A recent ranking revealed John G. Diefenbaker International Airport (YXE) in Saskatoon as the best airport in Canada. Serving central and northern Saskatchewan with five airlines, this airport achieved the top spot with a combined score of 72.11 out of 100.
The analysis looked at 25 passenger airports across Canada and ranked each on six determining factors such as the number of outbound direct flight destinations, dining facilities, lounges, on-site car rental companies, hotels within a two-mile radius, and operating airlines.
John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, also known as YXE, offers flights to 24 destinations and has 15 hotels within a two-mile radius. It supports approximately 930,000 passengers annually and provides one lounge and five dining facilities.
Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) in Quebec City stood second on the list with a score of 69.2 out of 100. YQB, known in French as the Aéroport International Jean-Lesage de Québec, supports 12 airlines flying to 34 destinations and serves 1.1 million annual passengers, according to the report. The airport also has five restaurants, six on-site car rental companies, and several hotels within a two-mile radius.
Toronto Pearson International Airport, the busiest in Canada, receives nearly 35 million passengers per year. Despite its large scale, it ranked sixth with a score of 52.33, offering 91 dining venues, 25 nearby hotels, and 196 direct outbound flight destinations.
The following is a list of the 25 ranked Canadian airports with scores out of 100:
- Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, Saskatchewan (YXE): 72.11
- Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, Quebec (YQB): 69.20
- St. John’s International Airport, Newfoundland (YYT): 60.96
- Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, Ontario (YOW): 52.66
- Thunder Bay International Airport, Ontario (YQT): 52.48
- Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ontario (YYZ): 52.33
- Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Quebec (YUL): 51.65
- Vancouver International Airport, B.C.(YVR): 51.08
- Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, Manitoba (YWG): 49.48
- Greater Moncton International Airport, New Brunswick (YQM): 47.93
- Calgary International Airport (YYC): 47.81
- Edmonton International Airport (YEG): 47.49
- Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ): 47.40
- Yellowknife Airport (YZF): 44.21
- London International Airport (YXU): 37.62
- Victoria International Airport (YYJ): 35.67
- Gander International Airport (YQX): 33.57
- Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY): 32.62
- Charlottetown Airport (YYG): 30.41
- Kelowna International Airport (YLW): 29.10
- Iqaluit Airport (YFB): 28.27
- Prince George Airport (YXS): 27.92
- Fredericton International Airport (YFC): 25.79
- Regina International Airport (YQR): 22.36
- New Brunswick’s Saint John Airport (YSJ): 22.08
About 117.3 million passengers boarded and disembarked planes using Canadian airports in 2022. As more people continue with travel after the end of global lockdowns, Canadian airports need to be well-connected to local as well as international destinations.
