Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International

About Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International

Ottawa/Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (IATA: YOW, ICAO: CYOW) or simply Ottawa International Airport is the main international airport serving the National Capital Region of Canada which contains the cities of Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec. Located 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) south of downtown Ottawa in the south end of the city, it is Canada's sixth-busiest airport, Ontario's second-busiest airport by airline passenger traffic, with 4,866,236 passengers in 2025. The airport is a major hub for Porter Airlines, a focus city for Air Canada and Air Transat and a home base for Canadian North (formerly First Air). The airport is named after the Canadian statesmen and two of the "founding fathers of Canada", Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier.