# Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW)

> Ottawa, CA · IATA: YOW · ICAO: CYOW · Large Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `YOW` |
| ICAO | `CYOW` |
| City | Ottawa |
| Country | CA |
| Type | Large Airport |
| Elevation | 114 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 45.32250, -75.66920 |

## Description

Where Toronto and Montréal handle Canada's intercontinental freighters, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International (YOW) plays a deliberately smaller cargo role for the capital region in Ontario. Its backbone is parcel and domestic express: Cargojet, FedEx, UPS, DHL and Purolator operate here, supported by the bellyhold capacity of Air Canada Cargo, WestJet Cargo, Canadian North Cargo and Air North Cargo. A CBSA customs office and brokerage services are available on site. For large-scale intercontinental air freight, forwarders generally consolidate through Toronto Pearson or Montréal-Trudeau instead. On the passenger side, YOW handled about 4.87 million travellers in 2025, ranking as Canada's sixth-busiest airport, with transborder traffic to the United States up seven percent in the first half of the year. Highway 417 ties the airport into the regional road network just a few kilometres from downtown. For time-critical shipments out of the capital, YOW offers a dependable express and customs point with short turnaround distances. Honest about its scale, it complements rather than competes with Canada's main cargo gateways.

---

*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ottawa-macdonald-cartier-international-airport-yow](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ottawa-macdonald-cartier-international-airport-yow)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/ottawa-macdonald-cartier-international-airport-yow](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/ottawa-macdonald-cartier-international-airport-yow)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/ottawa-macdonald-cartier-international-airport-yow/llm-summary*