Halifax airport passenger numbers up for 2023

The Halifax Stanfield International Airport saw a significant bump in the amount of passengers who passed through its doors in 2023 compared to 2022, but the numbers are still below pre-pandemic totals.

According to a Tuesday news release from the Halifax International Airport Authority, Stanfield served 3,579,293 passengers in 2023, which represents a 15 per cent increase over 2022’s 3,107,425 passengers.

“This is a testament to continued travel demand, the industry’s recovery efforts, and the unwavering dedication of our employees and airport community,” said Joyce Carter, president and CEO of the Airport Authority.

According to the release, the airport saw 4,188,443 total passengers in 2019. Transborder travel in particular remains down as the airport saw 361,448 such passengers in 2019 and 197,551 passengers in 2023, which represents a 45.3 per cent decrease.

The release cites sector challenges such as crew and aircraft shortages as reasons for the slower pace.

The release did note a slight uptick in other international passengers between those years, finding 302,928 in 2019 and 314,367 in 2023.

The Airport Authority noted the return of several routes this year, including Icelandair’s non-stop seasonal service to Reykjavik in the summer and WestJet flights to Dublin, London Gatwick, and Edinburgh.

Delta Airlines will also return to Halifax with twice-daily non-stop service to New York LaGuardia Airport.

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