Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport became the first large airport in Canada to confirm it set a record in 2018, surpassing 19 million passengers for the first time.

In all, 19.4 million passengers passed through the terminal, seven per cent more than in 2017. Montreal follows a trend set in other Canadian airports.

Growth was led by travellers flying overseas, with 7.9 million passengers departing to and arriving from international destinations. That was 10% more than the previous year. Traffic to the United States was also stronger, with 7.5% more people headed south of the border.

Domestic traffic was three per cent higher on the year, with 7.1 million passengers travelling within Canada. Much of the growth in capacity domestically has been in the ultra low-cost sector, with Swoop and Flair so far avoiding flying to Montreal.