Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Guide

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport sits 13 km south of downtown Ottawa, serving the National Capital Region of Canada. The airport opened in 1938 and is Canada's sixth-busiest airport by passenger traffic, ranking second in Ontario. A new 61,000 m² terminal opened in 2003, with a further expansion in 2008 adding twelve gates. In early 2025, an O-Train station connected the airport directly to Ottawa's light rail network.

The airport handles domestic, US transborder, and international traffic from a single terminal. Porter Airlines uses YOW as its main hub and operates the most non-stop routes of any carrier at the airport. Air Canada and Air Transat treat it as a focus city, while Canadian North is based here. Direct international service includes year-round flights to London Heathrow and seasonal service to Paris Charles de Gaulle via Air France.

YOW was the first Canadian airport to offer US Customs pre-clearance, a facility that remains in use today. The airport handles flights from multiple alliances — Star Alliance carriers including Air Canada and United Airlines, and SkyTeam's Air France — alongside a mix of independent carriers.