Updated October 8, 2026.
These are June 2026 figures, not a forecast of today’s security queues. Statistics Canada’s July 31 release recorded roughly 5.2 million screenings at the eight largest airports, up 0.6% year on year. A system upgrade on June 2 left about nine hours unrecorded; the agency estimated the monthly count could be 1–2% below its actual level. Comparisons with other months need that caveat.
Domestic screening reached about 2.5 million, up 1.8%; international traffic excluding the United States reached 1.4 million, up 0.6%. U.S.-bound traffic fell 2.0% to 1.2 million, its seventeenth successive annual decline. Rounded sector figures need not add exactly to the rounded total; readers should not invent the missing counts.
Overall screenings rose 1.7% at Pearson but fell 0.5% at Vancouver International. For U.S.-bound passengers, Pearson rose 0.7% after sixteen declining months; Vancouver, Montréal and Calgary fell 3.5%, 4.3% and 4.9%. The release mentioned the World Cup context, but these descriptive comparisons do not establish the tournament’s effect.
The monthly series excludes crews, airport staff and connecting passengers who did not need screening again. It is not total airport passenger activity. CATSA’s daily traffic table, updated weekly, includes screened passengers and non-passengers and can have technical gaps. Check the population measured before comparing these datasets.
Volumes do not measure waiting times. CATSA’s June 2026 operational update said 96% of passengers at the busiest airports had waited under fifteen minutes over the preceding year; the peak-period figure was 91.7%. Those historical aggregates cannot guarantee a particular queue or your next flight. Check your airline’s and airport’s arrival advice separately from current screening information.
For packing, Transport Canada’s prohibited-items guidance distinguishes carry-on, U.S.-bound and checked-baggage restrictions. Some items barred from carry-on can be checked; others cannot. Follow its link to CATSA’s item search and ask your airline if unsure. A general list does not guarantee approval of an individual item.
For the journey from Toronto Pearson into the city, see our Pearson, UP Express and TTC guide. Confirm your own airport and flight before planning that onward trip. June’s monthly release provides historical demand and measurement context; it cannot replace travel-day screening, transport or entry information.