Air passenger traffic between India-Canada reduced by 9% in H1 2023

Air passenger traffic between India and Canada witnessed a year-on-year decline of 9.12 per cent, totalling 347,527 passengers during the first half of this year. This decrease was primarily attributed to Air Canada, which operated 35 per cent fewer flights due to the ban on Russian airspace.
 
The ban on Russian airspace was implemented in response to Russia's military actions against Ukraine, which commenced in February 2022. Canada swiftly prohibited Russian planes from utilising its airspace, and Russia reciprocated by banning Canadian planes from accessing its airspace. The shortest aerial route connecting India and Canada passes directly through Russian airspace. Consequently, Air Canada was compelled to traverse longer distances to reach India from Canada.

 
As a result of these airspace restrictions, Air Canada made strategic adjustments to its services. The Delhi-Vancouver flight was suspended, and the frequencies of its Delhi-Montreal and Delhi-Toronto flights were reduced to accommodate the altered flight paths.
 
In contrast, Air India continued to utilise Russian airspace, enabling it to boost its services to the North American country. Air India expanded its India-Canada flight offerings by 40 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2023.