Hamilton, ON (January 22, 2019) – John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport is excited to share its 2018 passenger and cargo traffic numbers. Last year 725,630 passengers travelled through Hamilton International representing a 21% growth over 2017 and a 118% growth in just two years compared to 333,368 passengers in 2016. The Airport is expecting passenger traffic to continue to grow in 2019 and beyond with all its airline partners, including new daily direct service from Hamilton to Dublin with Norwegian beginning in March. Continuing this summer, Swoop will add increased domestic frequencies along with now year-round service to select US and International destinations. Finally, seasonal carriers Air Transat and Sunwing continue to build their vacation offerings from Hamilton during the winter season.
In addition to passenger growth, the Airport continues to be Canada’s largest overnight express cargo airport. In 2018 cargo volume at Hamilton International increased by 5% over 2017 and 20% over 2016. This steady growth confirms that Hamilton International continues to be a global gateway for facilitating goods movements across Canada and the globe, thanks to solid partnerships with Cargojet, DHL, UPS and Purolator.
“Within the last two years the Airport has seen a tremendous amount of growth as passengers continue to choose Hamilton as their airport of choice for convenient, low-cost travel,” said Cathie Puckering, President & CEO, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. “Additionally, Ontario is home to a strong and rapidly growing e-commerce industry and Hamilton International is well positioned to support this thriving industry with large cargo facilities that operate 24/7. This enables companies to meet the tight deadlines that the e-commerce sector demands and spurred the continued growth evident in our cargo activity in 2018.”
Over the last two years Hamilton International has seen unprecedented growth in both the passenger and cargo segments of the business and as such, the Airport continues to invest in maintaining and upgrading facilities and infrastructure. Similarly, partners like KF Aerospace specializing in MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) operations continue to play a key role in servicing the needs of various passenger and cargo carriers. To support the increases in passenger and cargo traffic, the Airport is evolving its commercial offerings in order to satisfy the needs of the growing customer base. In 2018, Hamilton International welcomed a third car rental operator and in the first month of 2019, the Airport introduced Best Buy Canada and their vending machine stocked with the latest technology for travelers. Additionally, Hamilton International has recently signed agreements with rideshare companies such as Lyft to operate at the Airport. These new business partners clearly provide more services and amenities in demand from the Airport’s growing customer base. Ultimately, these various developments are enabling Hamilton International to focus on delivering its vision to be the best global gateway in Canada for affordable travel and goods movement.