Screened traffic at Canadian airports

Detailed information for March 2024

The purpose of this statistical program is to provide estimates of screened traffic (passengers and non-passengers) at Pre-Board Screening (PBS) checkpoints at Canada's eight largest airports.

Data release - April 29, 2024

• Description
• Data sources and methodology
• Data accuracy

Description

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is a Crown corporation responsible for securing specific elements of the air transportation system - from passenger and baggage screening to screening airport workers.

Data are derived from the CATSA Boarding Pass Security System and includes screened traffic (passengers and non-passengers) at Pre-Board Screening (PBS) checkpoints at Canada's eight largest airports.

The data are captured and used by the CATSA as part of their mandate to protect the public through effective and efficient screening of air travellers and their baggage. Statistics Canada uses this data to produce statistics on screened traffic at Canada's eight largest airports.

Note about screened passengers versus enplaned/deplaned passengers: Screened passenger traffic counts differ from enplaned/deplaned passenger counts. A passenger who undergoes security screening at the Canadian airport of the origin of their trip would not normally be screened again at another Canadian airport en route to their destination. Conversely, that same passenger would be recorded as enplaning/deplaning at each Canadian airport of their trip, from their origin to their destination.

Collection period: During the month following the reference month.

Subjects

• Transportation
• Transportation by air
• Travel and tourism

Data sources and methodology

Target population

Passengers undergoing security screening while entering the secure area of an air terminal building, prior to enplaning on departing flights, at the eight largest airports in Canada.

Non-passenger traffic is also captured. Non-passenger data are comprised of non-passengers screened at Pre-Board Screening (PBS) checkpoints but does not include non-passengers screened at Non-Passenger Screening (NPS) checkpoints. Some examples of non-passengers screened at PBS checkpoints include flight and cabin crews as well as airport staff who aid passengers through the PBS checkpoints.

Instrument design

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Sampling

This methodology does not apply.

Data sources

Data are collected directly from survey respondents and extracted from administrative files.

The data are captured and used by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) as part of their mandate to protect the public through effective and efficient screening of air travellers and their baggage.

Data are derived from the CATSA Boarding Pass Security System at Pre-Board Screening (PBS) checkpoints at Canada's eight largest airports.

Data files are shared with Statistics Canada.

Error detection

The validity of the data reported is controlled through the use of computerized edit programs.

Imputation

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Estimation

This methodology does not apply.

Quality evaluation

Data received are tabulated and are subjected to a number of validation analyses to ensure the integrity of the data and to compare the figures with general aviation industry trends.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

Monthly estimates are provided for the reference month. The data for the previous months are revised if necessary. The revisions are reflected in the monthly data table.

Seasonal adjustments are not done.

Data accuracy

Screened passenger data are captured by CATSA as part of their mandate to protect the public through security screening of air travellers and their baggage.

The data are derived from the CATSA Boarding Pass Security System in place at Pre-Board Screening (PBS) checkpoints at Canada's largest airports. Passengers entering the secure area of an air terminal building, prior to their flight, are required to undergo security screening, which includes boarding pass scanning. Data are derived from the boarding pass scans.

Passenger pre-board security screening is an important step in securing the air transportation system. As such, the data is of high quality.

There could be instances where data are incomplete due to technical issues related to data capture from CATSA's Boarding Pass Security System. Technical issues are typically short in duration and have minimal impact on monthly traffic volumes.