Vancouver International Airport ranked 9th most connected in North America

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is one of the most connected airports in North America, according to a new analysis from OAG, an air travel intelligence company.

Its 2017 Megahubs International Index released earlier this week reveals the 50 most internationally connected airports. Airports are ranked by comparing the number of scheduled connections to and from international flights with the number of destinations served from the airport.

See also

• YVR, the fastest growing airport in North America, is doing all the right things
• Vancouver International Airport named the Best Airport in the World
• Vancouver International Airport voted best airport in North America
• $5.6-billion expansion will propel Vancouver International Airport to new heights

“Megahub airports benefit from both a large number of inbound and outbound flights and well-timed airline schedules. These hubs are critical to global airline efficiency and play an essential role in providing travelers with more options for ticket costs, flight frequencies and available destinations,” said Mike Benjamin, COO of OAG, in a statement.

This year, YVR is ranked the 9th most connected international airport in the continent, just behind Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and ahead of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

When it comes to YVR’s international placing, the airport ranks 26th behind Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi and DFW.

But YVR punches well above its weight considering its relatively small passenger traffic of 22.3 million per year compared to other global hubs.

For instance, on an annual basis, EWR sees 40 million passengers, DFW has nearly 66 million passengers, and DEL records almost 58 million passengers.

YVR ranks high likely because of its position as one of the largest Trans-Pacific hubs on the continent, and this position over the last three years has strengthened significantly with the launch of numerous new routes to Chinese destinations.

In fact, there are now 10 airlines offering a combined 104 weekly non-stop flights between Vancouver and Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

The connectivity means there are more direct Chinese flights to Vancouver than any other major North American or European airport – even San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London Heathrow.

All the while, YVR’s connectivity has also improved with the recent launch of a number of new routes to other destinations in North America, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere in Asia.

The only other Canadian airport that made it to the index was Toronto Pearson International Airport, which ranked 5th internationally and 2nd in the continent.

Top 10 airports with the most connectivity in North America

OAG Megahubs International Index 2017

Top 50 airports with the most connectivity in the world

OAG Megahubs International Index 2017

New and improved major YVR routes 2015-18

• March 15, 2015: Manila, Philippines and New York City, U.S.A. – Philippine Airlines adds four weekly flights to its route from Manila to NYC, with a stop in Vancouver.
• March 29, 2015: Paris, France – Air France begins three times weekly non-stop flight service, with five times weekly schedules during the summer months.
• May 1, 2015: Osaka, Japan – Air Canada Rouge begins five times weekly service to Kansai International Airport.
• June 26, 2015: Kungming, China – China Eastern Airlines begins three times weekly flight service via Shanghai.
• December 9, 2015: Mexico City, Mexico – Aeromexico to begin daily non-stop flight service.
• January 1, 2016: Orlando International Airport – WestJet to begin twice weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• January 20, 2016: Orlando-Sanford International Airport – National Airlines to begin two times weekly seasonal flight service.
• February 15, 2016: Cancun, Mexico – Air Canada to begin weekly, non-stop seasonal service.
• May 1, 2016: London Heathrow Airport – British Airways to use an AirBus A380 superjumbo jet for its existing daily non-stop London Heathrow Airport service. The A380 will only be used during the summer months.
• May 6, 2016: London Gatwick Airport – WestJet to begin six times weekly non-stop flight service.
• May 9, 2016: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport – Air Canada to begin twice daily, non-stop service to San Jose.
• June 1, 2016: Brisbane, Australia – Air Canada to begin daily non-stop flight service.
• June 2, 2016: San Diego International Airport – Air Canada to begin daily, non-stop seasonal service.
• June 4, 2016: Chicago O’Hare International Airport – Air Canada to begin daily, non-stop service.
• June 10, 2016: Dublin Airport – Air Canada to begin seasonal, three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• June 29, 2016: London, Ontario – WestJet to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• June 29, 2016: Halifax, Nova Scotia – WestJet to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• June 30, 2016: Hamilton, Ontario – WestJet to begin three times weekly non-stop seasonal flight service.
• July 25, 2016: Xiamen, China – Xiamen Airlines to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• October 20, 2016: Delhi, India – Air Canada to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• December 1, 2016: Mexico City, Mexico – Aeromexico increases weekly flights from 14 to 20.
• December 20, 2016: Nanjing, China – China Eastern Airlines to begin three times weekly non-stop flight service.
• December 30, 2016: Hangzhou, China via Qingdao, China – Beijing Capital Airlines to begin three times weekly service.
• February 5, 2017: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas – Air Canada to begin daily service.
• March 28, 2017: Hong Kong, China – Cathay Pacific increases weekly flights from 14 to 17.
• May 1, 2017: Phoenix, Arizona – Air Canada to begin daily service.
• May 18, 2017: Denver, Colorado – Air Canada to begin twice daily service.
• June 1, 2017: Nagoya, Japan – Air Canada to begin seasonal three times weekly service.
• June 1, 2017: Frankfurt, Germany – Air Canada to begin daily service.
• June 8, 2017: Taipei, Taiwan – Air Canada to begin daily service.
• June 8, 2017: London, UK (Gatwick Airport) – Air Canada to begin three times weekly service.
• June 23, 2017: Boston, Massachusetts – Air Canada to begin daily summer seasonal service.
• June 30, 2017: Hong Kong, China – Hong Kong Airlines to begin daily non-stop flight service.
• October 14, 2017: Delhi, India – Air Canada’s service to be upgraded to up to five times weekly.
• October 26, 2017: Cancun, Mexico – Interjet to begin year-round, non-stop flight service running four times weekly.
• October 26, 2017: Mexico City, Mexico – Interjet to begin year-round, non-stop flight service running four times weekly.
• October 29, 2017: Huatulco, Mexico – WestJet to begin weekly non-stop flight service.
• October 29, 2017: Kona and Kauai, Hawaii – WestJet to start seasonal service earlier than usual.
• December 1, 2017: Melbourne, Australia – Air Canada to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal service.
• December 15, 2017: Yellowknife, Northern Territories – Air Canada to begin daily non-stop service.
• December 20, 2017: Orlando International Airport – Air Canada to begin twice weekly non-stop seasonal service.
• January 1, 2018: Reykjavík, Iceland – Icelandair to upgrade existing seasonal service to three times weekly year-round service.
• June 1, 2018: Melbourne, Australia – Air Canada service to be upgraded into three times weekly year-round.
• June 7, 2018: Zurich, Switzerland – Air Canada to begin three times weekly seasonal service.
• June 8, 2018: Paris, France – Air Canada to begin four times weekly seasonal service.

See also

• YVR, the fastest growing airport in North America, is doing all the right things
• Vancouver International Airport named the Best Airport in the World
• Vancouver International Airport voted best airport in North America
• $5.6-billion expansion will propel Vancouver International Airport to new heights