Halifax Stanfield has been flying under the radar among more well-known international airports in Canada and the United States, such as Toronto, New York and Atlanta. This year, the airport’s impressive list of 20 international destinations has it taking off as a global gateway leader among medium-sized airports in North America, according to OAG, the leading global provider of travel data and insight.
“We’re thrilled to receive recognition of being ‘The Most International Medium-sized Airport in North America’ in support of our air service expansion to international destinations,” said Joyce Carter, President & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority. “Providing choice is key to attracting passengers. Our geographic position on Canada’s East Coast and proximity to many points in Europe and the Eastern U.S. Seaboard make us an ideal gateway for global leisure travel destinations and commercial markets.”
In June 2019, OAG released its list of airport leaders in various categories such as on time performance, fastest growing facilities and lowest cost airports. OAG calculated the international destination – or Global Gateway — category by including the number of scheduled international routes operated for the period June 2018 to May 2019 for each airport and ranked them by the highest number of international routes in each size band.
Routes operating fewer than 26 flights in a 12-month period (to allow for a summer-only service) were excluded. Flights between the United States and Canada are counted as international in this evaluation.
Halifax offers 20 international destinations, which is well above the average of eight international destinations offered among the top 10 medium size airports.
“Halifax Stanfield’s ranking as the leading Global Gateway for medium-sized North American airports is a result of smart investments in infrastructure, its airline network and new service offerings,” said Mark Mattio, Head of North American Sales at OAG. “With demand for international travel increasing, Halifax’s geographic location positions the airport to play a critical role in Canada’s tourism market today and in the future.”
Halifax Stanfield continues to build on its hub strategy through air service expansion, leveraging its strategic location as the closest hub to Western Europe. Its proximity to many European destinations sparked the construction of a new International to Domestic passenger processing facility at the airport that simplifies the Canadian Customs process for many connecting international passengers and enables them to remain in the secure area without re-entering passenger screening.
Halifax Stanfield also boasts the only U.S. Preclearance facility in Atlantic Canada, which enables passengers travelling to the U.S. and beyond to go through Customs in Canada, eliminating the need to do so on U.S. soil. Halifax recognized the benefit of having this facility long ago given the short travel time to many points of interest in the U.S. such as New York, Boston and Chicago, and it has been in operation since 2006.
The airport is currently participating in one of the year’s most anticipated air service events, World Routes, to encourage even more global connections.
“At Halifax Stanfield, we say that connecting here means the world – we look forward to welcoming and supporting our airline partners and passengers to our growing airport in the years to come,” said Carter.
For more information on Halifax Stanfield and how you can launch services from the Most International Airport (medium size) in North America, visit halifaxstanfield.ca.