Halifax Stanfield International Airport is beginning 2026 with a distinction few Canadian airports can claim: robust growth in travel to the United States at a time when cross border volumes nationally have been sliding. While Statistics Canada reports that overall transborder air passenger traffic between Canada and the United States fell in 2025, Halifax bucked the trend. The airport recorded an increase of roughly 8 to 9 percent in its U.S. passenger volumes compared with 2024, reinforcing its emerging role as a nimble, opportunity driven hub for Atlantic Canada and beyond.
Halifax Stands Out in a Weak Canada–U.S. Market
Nationally, 2025 was not kind to cross border travel. Statistics Canada data show that transborder passenger traffic from Canada to the United States declined by about 7.5 percent between 2024 and 2025, with seven of the eight largest Canadian airports posting year over year drops in U.S. traffic. Against this backdrop, Halifax Stanfield’s increase in U.S. passenger volumes, in the high single digits, is striking.
Airport figures released in early February 2026 show that Halifax handled just over 343,000 U.S. transborder passengers in 2025, up from roughly 316,000 a year earlier. That translates to growth in the 8 to 9 percent range, depending on the specific counting method. While still below the pre pandemic peak, the gains underscore how far the airport has come since 2022, when U.S. traffic languished below 80,000 passengers for the year.
The contrast with Canada’s largest hubs is sharp. Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary each saw declines in screened transborder passengers in 2025, even as they recorded healthy domestic and overseas international growth. Halifax’s ability to move in the opposite direction demonstrates that airport scale is not the only determinant of success in a challenging segment.
A Three Year Rebound in Numbers
Halifax Stanfield’s U.S. performance in 2025 is best understood as the latest chapter in a three year recovery. In 2022, the airport’s transborder sector was still in the early stages of rebuilding, largely constrained by airline staffing shortages and cautious scheduling. By 2023, U.S. volumes had more than doubled year over year, reaching close to 200,000 passengers as carriers restored suspended routes and added frequencies.
Momentum accelerated again in 2024, when transborder numbers jumped to more than 310,000 passengers, a leap of nearly 60 percent from the year before. That surge put Halifax back within striking distance of its 2019 U.S. traffic levels, even as some other Canadian airports continued to lag their pre pandemic benchmark in this category. The additional 8 to 9 percent growth recorded in 2025 pushed Halifax’s U.S. segment still closer to full recovery.
This pattern of compounding growth matters for travelers considering their options in 2026. Consistent, multi year gains in a specific sector typically reflect both underlying demand and structural improvements: in this case, more airline capacity directed into Halifax, a broader menu of U.S. destinations and schedules, and stronger awareness of Halifax as a viable gateway for both leisure and business trips south of the border.
Airlines and Routes Powering U.S. Growth
The resurgence of U.S. travel through Halifax Stanfield is also a story about airlines and route strategy. Over the past three years, legacy and non legacy carriers have steadily rebuilt a robust transborder network from the airport, reconnecting Halifax with key U.S. business and leisure markets. Air Canada has continued its year round service to major hubs, while American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have restored and expanded links to cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Newark.
By 2024 and 2025, the New York region was particularly well served from Halifax, with multiple daily flights spread among several carriers. This density created ample one stop connectivity to the broader U.S. domestic network, meaning that passengers headed to secondary or tertiary American cities could route via Halifax and a single U.S. hub without complex itineraries. For many Atlantic Canadians, this made their home airport a far more convenient starting point than driving or connecting through larger Canadian hubs further west.
Newer players have also contributed to the upswing. Porter Airlines has used Halifax to expand its U.S. sun network, launching seasonal flights to destinations in Florida such as Tampa and Orlando. These routes tap into strong winter demand from Nova Scotians and neighboring provinces, while also giving U.S. visitors more direct access to Atlantic Canada’s growing tourism offering. Seasonal U.S. services have effectively smoothed some of the shoulder season dips that used to characterize the airport’s calendar.
Why Halifax is Bucking the National Trend
Several factors help explain why Halifax Stanfield is managing to grow U.S. traffic while the nationwide numbers to the United States decline. One is the airport’s scale and flexibility. Compared with Canada’s major hubs, Halifax is smaller and less constrained, which allows airlines to experiment with new routes and service patterns with relatively modest risk. If a carrier sees promising demand data for a certain U.S. market, it can test the route with a few weekly frequencies, adjust capacity quickly, and refine schedules based on real world performance.
Another factor is the makeup of Halifax’s catchment area. Atlantic Canada’s population base is smaller than those of central Canada, but it has a meaningful diaspora in the northeastern United States and strong ties to U.S. tourism markets. This creates a two way stream of demand: Canadians traveling south for business, leisure and visiting friends and relatives, and Americans coming north for coastal scenery, culture, and cooler summer weather. Halifax’s proximity to the U.S. northeast makes it a logical gateway in both directions.
Policy and perception may be playing a role as well. At a time when some Canadians are rethinking non essential trips to the United States due to political tensions or evolving border procedures, Halifax’s strong growth suggests that pent up regional demand is still being unlocked. It also indicates that airlines and tourism boards have been effective at marketing both the convenience of non stop links and the appeal of door to door itineraries that avoid congested mega hubs.
What Travelers Can Expect in 2026
For travelers, the 8 to 9 percent jump in U.S. passengers in 2025 is not just a statistic. It translates into more choice, more frequencies and, potentially, more competitive pricing in 2026. As airlines plan their schedules for the coming year, they tend to reward markets that demonstrate consistent growth. Halifax’s numbers signal to carriers that there is still room to add capacity on existing U.S. routes, upgauge aircraft on high demand days, or test new destinations that were not previously on the map.
Early indications for the 2026 travel year suggest that Halifax Stanfield will offer a broader menu of non stop flights than ever, with a record number of international destinations and a strong transborder slate. U.S. travelers can expect reliable connections into Atlantic Canada during the peak summer period, which is vital for the region’s tourism operators. At the same time, outbound Canadian travelers are likely to see better alignment of flight times with onward connections through U.S. hubs, improving overall journey quality.
Another important implication is resilience. In the event of disruptions at major Canadian gateways, a strong Halifax U.S. network gives airlines an alternative routing option for Atlantic origin or destination passengers. That flexibility can be particularly valuable during winter weather events or peak holiday periods, when capacity at larger airports is stretched and delays cascade quickly through the system.
Impact on Fares, Competition and Traveller Experience
Growth in passenger volumes often leads to heightened competition, and Halifax Stanfield’s U.S. sector is no exception. With several carriers vying for travelers on overlapping routes, price sensitive passengers may find more promotional fares and sale periods in 2026, especially on leisure oriented services to sun destinations or on shoulder season flights where airlines are eager to stimulate demand.
That said, travelers should not necessarily expect a race to the bottom on fares. Across North America, airlines continue to contend with higher operating costs, from fuel to labor, and U.S. routes from smaller Canadian airports remain capacity constrained in absolute terms. The more likely scenario for Halifax is a modest increase in seat supply paired with careful revenue management. Smart travelers who book early, remain flexible with travel dates, or leverage connecting options via U.S. hubs will be best placed to capture the most attractive prices.
The passenger experience at Halifax is also benefiting from the growth trend. Investment in terminal concessions, dining options and passenger services has ramped up in recent years as volumes recovered. For U.S. bound travelers, that means more amenities both before and after clearing preclearance formalities. Shorter walking distances than at larger hubs, a manageable terminal layout, and a growing range of food and beverage outlets all help mitigate the stress of international travel.
Halifax as a Gateway Beyond the U.S.
While the focus of recent headlines has been on U.S. traffic, Halifax Stanfield’s broader international story is equally important for understanding its role in 2026. In 2025, the airport recorded a near 20 percent increase in non U.S. international passengers, surpassing 525,000 travelers in that sector alone. That performance, combined with growth in the U.S. market, has made Halifax one of the most internationally connected airports of its size in North America.
This matters for U.S. bound and U.S. origin travelers because it changes how they can use Halifax. For some, the airport will be a convenient point of entry into Atlantic Canada before continuing onward to Europe or the Caribbean on a separate ticket. For others, it provides an alternative to large Canadian hubs for transatlantic travel, especially when paired with code share agreements and interline partnerships that allow bags to be checked through and connections to be protected.
As airlines continue to refine their networks, Halifax’s combination of domestic, U.S. transborder and broader international links increases its value as a connecting point within the North Atlantic region. Travelers who might once have dismissed smaller airports as purely origin and destination points are beginning to see Halifax as a viable component of more complex itineraries.
Outlook: What It Means for Travel Planning This Year
Looking ahead through 2026, the implications of Halifax Stanfield’s nearly 9 percent jump in U.S. passenger volumes are clear. For the airport, the numbers validate a strategy centered on diversified connectivity and targeted route development. For airlines, they offer proof that Atlantic Canada can sustain more capacity to the United States than the national trend might suggest. For travelers, they promise a year of improved options and more stable service in a segment that has seen turbulence elsewhere.
Leisure travelers in Atlantic Canada can approach their U.S. vacation planning with greater confidence that convenient non stop and one stop itineraries will be available from their home region. Business travelers gain flexibility as flight frequencies and connection banks are fine tuned to meet weekday demand patterns. And inbound visitors from the United States may find it easier than ever to incorporate Nova Scotia into broader Canada itineraries that also include central or western provinces.
In a year when cross border travel statistics for Canada as a whole tell a story of contraction, Halifax Stanfield International Airport offers a notable counterpoint. Its steady rise in U.S. passenger volumes in 2025 sets the stage for a 2026 travel season characterized by choice, connectivity and cautious optimism. For anyone planning to cross the border through Atlantic Canada this year, Halifax is increasingly the airport to watch.