YOW · Ottawa, Canada
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
--:--:-- · EDT (UTC-04:00) · 45.3225° N, 75.6692° W
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport
Airport serving Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for YOW
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 1840; ident CYOW; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
yow.ca
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
22 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
YOW / CYOW
OurAirports ident
CYOW
GPS / local code
CYOW / YOW
ISO region
CA-ON
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
major international passenger gateway
Official host
yow.ca
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q1319833
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Alternate names
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 5, 8:22 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--EDT · UTC-04:00
Time zone
EDT
America/Toronto · UTC-04:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
10 km
Approximate distance to central Ottawa.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Ottawa
Languages
English, French
Currency
CAD ($)
Country area
9,984,670 km²
Passenger volume
4,866,236 passengers (2025)
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
3 runways
Longest runway
10,000 ft / 3,048 m
Runway surface
asphalt (3)
Opened / operator
Operational history note unavailable
Owner / entity
Transport Canada
Hub airlines
Porter Airlines, Air Transat, Air Canada
Airport role
major international passenger gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
22 source-backed signals
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is a major international passenger gateway for Ottawa, Canada. Ottawa's built-up core sits roughly 10 km from the terminal area. Operations run on America/Toronto (UTC-04:00, EDT). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 3 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW / CYOW) is at 45.3225° N, 75.6692° W, elevation 374 ft (114 m), serving Ottawa, Canada.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
Ottawa is in Canada (capital Ottawa); regulated by Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA); on America/Toronto (EDT, UTC-04:00); working languages: English, French; currency: CAD ($).
Distance from central Ottawa: 10 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for YOW.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW / CYOW)
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport · Airport serving Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Known label 1
Uplands
Alternate airport-name cue retained for YOW, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 2
UUP
Alternate airport-name cue retained for YOW, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 3
CUUP
Alternate airport-name cue retained for YOW, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
CYOW · CYOW · YOW · CA-ON
yow.ca · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Regional role cue
Ottawa/Macdonald–Cartier International Airport 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.
Accepted from the airport reference trail as a role-specific cue for YOW; not treated as a live service guarantee.
Location cue
Located 8 nautical miles 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.
Used to make the airport page location-specific beyond the code, coordinate, and timezone record.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Gloucester
gloucester · 4.1 km from YOW
Canada · America/Toronto · +0h · population 150,012 · city coordinates 45.3500, -75.6333
2. Nepean
nepean · 4.4 km from YOW
Canada · America/Toronto · +0h · population 180,000 · city coordinates 45.3362, -75.7225
3. Alta Vista
alta-vista · 7.2 km from YOW
Canada · America/Toronto · +0h · population 24,726 · city coordinates 45.3864, -75.6581
4. Ottawa South
ottawa-south · 7.9 km from YOW
Canada · America/Toronto · +0h · population 125,090 · city coordinates 45.3921, -75.6873
5. Ottawa
ottawa · 10 km from YOW
Canada · America/Toronto · +0h · population 1,017,449 · city coordinates 45.4112, -75.6981
6. Centretown
centretown · 11 km from YOW
Canada · America/Toronto · +0h · population 25,687 · city coordinates 45.4153, -75.6964
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. YUL CYUL
Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport · Montréal
151 km from YOW · America/Toronto · +0h · elevation 118 ft (36 m) · airport coordinates 45.4678, -73.7423
2. SYR KSYR
Syracuse Hancock International Airport · Syracuse
248 km from YOW · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 421 ft (128 m) · airport coordinates 43.1112, -76.1063
3. ROC KROC
Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport · Rochester
292 km from YOW · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 559 ft (170 m) · airport coordinates 43.1189, -77.6724
Route-time reference set
1. YOW-YUL
Montréal · 151 km · 1h 1m
America/Toronto · +0h from YOW; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. YOW-SYR
Syracuse · 248 km · 1h 9m
America/New_York · +0h from YOW; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. YOW-ROC
Rochester · 292 km · 1h 12m
America/New_York · +0h from YOW; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
3 runways
Longest runway 10,000 ft / 3,048 m. 2 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (3)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for YOW.
Runway identifiers
04/22 · 07/25 · 14/32
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. YUL CYUL
Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport · Montréal · 151 km from YOW
large airport · America/Toronto · canada · 118 ft (36 m) · 45.4678, -73.7423
2. YYZ CYYZ
Toronto Pearson International Airport · Toronto · 363 km from YOW
large airport · America/Toronto · canada · 569 ft (173 m) · 43.6759, -79.6294
3. YQB CYQB
Quebec Jean Lesage International Airport · Quebec · 368 km from YOW
large airport · America/Toronto · canada · 244 ft (74 m) · 46.7911, -71.3933
4. YHZ CYHZ
Halifax / Stanfield International Airport · Halifax · 955 km from YOW
large airport · America/Halifax · canada · 477 ft (145 m) · 44.8808, -63.5086
5. YWG CYWG
Winnipeg / James Armstrong Richardson International Airport · Winnipeg · 1689 km from YOW
large airport · America/Winnipeg · canada · 783 ft (239 m) · 49.9100, -97.2399
6. YYT CYYT
St. John's International Airport · St. John's · 1767 km from YOW
large airport · America/St_Johns · canada · 461 ft (141 m) · 47.6186, -52.7519
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
Located 8 nautical miles 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.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for YOW.
Source note 2
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.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for YOW.
Country and authority
YOW sits in Canada (Canada), whose capital is Ottawa. Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) is the national civil-aviation authority we name for regulator context. Country context: Americas, North America.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: English, French. Currency context: CAD ($). YOW is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
YOW is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with Uplands, UUP, CUUP. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Airport serving Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Source-specific cues
Regional role cue: Ottawa/Macdonald–Cartier International Airport 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. Location cue: Located 8 nautical miles 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.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q1319833 · Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. Owner / owning body: Transport Canada. Administrative area: Ottawa. Named after: Ottawa · John A. Macdonald · George-Étienne Cartier
Field and clock profile
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is a low-elevation field at 374 ft (114 m), positioned at 45.3225° N, 75.6692° W in the Northern mid-latitudes. The runway snapshot lists 3 runways and a longest runway of 10,000 ft / 3,048 m. The airport clock uses America/Toronto (EDT, UTC-04:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
Gloucester is the closest retained city-time anchor at 4.1 km. YUL Montréal is the closest retained airport alternative at 151 km.
Country airport peers
YOW is compared with YUL Montréal at 151 km, YYZ Toronto at 363 km, YQB Quebec at 368 km, YHZ Halifax at 955 km, YWG Winnipeg at 1689 km inside the retained Canada airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
YOW-YUL Montréal: 151 km, about 1h 1m, +0h. YOW-SYR Syracuse: 248 km, about 1h 9m, +0h. YOW-ROC Rochester: 292 km, about 1h 12m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident CYOW backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. yow.ca is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
4,866,236 passengers (2025)
Airline role
Porter Airlines, Air Transat, Air Canada
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
3 runways · longest 10,000 ft / 3,048 m
Runway identifiers
04/22, 07/25, 14/32
OurAirports classifies YOW as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Ottawa.
YOW (CYOW) is one of the curated airport pages with a real traffic signal attached: 4,866,236 passengers (2025), operating from a low-elevation field at 374 ft (114 m).
YOW also has a clear airline-network role: the source summary describes it as air canada and air transat and a home base for canadian north.
YOW's runway record lists 3 runways, with the longest runway at 10,000 ft / 3,048 m and source surfaces recorded as asphalt (3).
Civil aviation oversight for YOW runs through Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA); a more specific operator record is not currently in our source set.
- Located 8 nautical miles 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.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at yow.ca, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for YOW
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
YOW uses America/Toronto (EDT, UTC-04:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is about 10 km from central Ottawa; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
YUL Montréal is the closest retained alternate at 151 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
yow.ca is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place YOW inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
YOW ranks #4 in the curated Canada airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 13 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
YOW shares America/Toronto with YQB Quebec CA · YUL Montréal CA · YYZ Toronto CA. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
YOW is 374 ft (114 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include LIS 374 ft (114 m) (0 ft delta) · MST 375 ft (114 m) (1 ft delta) · OZH 373 ft (114 m) (1 ft delta) · ZIA 377 ft (115 m) (3 ft delta) · OVB 365 ft (111 m) (9 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
YOW's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are YUL 151 km +0h · SYR 248 km +0h · ROC 292 km +0h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal | YUL | 151 km | 1h 1m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Syracuse | SYR | 248 km | 1h 9m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Rochester | ROC | 292 km | 1h 12m | +0h | --:--:-- |
YOW to YUL
Montréal
Distance 151 km; estimated travel window 1h 1m; destination zone America/Toronto is +0h from YOW. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
YOW to SYR
Syracuse
Distance 248 km; estimated travel window 1h 9m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from YOW. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
YOW to ROC
Rochester
Distance 292 km; estimated travel window 1h 12m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from YOW. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
Central Ottawa is close enough that taxi, ride-hail, and rail or shuttle links are usually the fastest arrival options.
Ottawa is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport has 3 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from YOW, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Gloucester
gloucester · 4.1 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Nepean
nepean · 4.4 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Alta Vista
alta-vista · 7.2 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Ottawa South
ottawa-south · 7.9 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Ottawa
ottawa · 10 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Centretown
centretown · 11 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Hull
hull · 12 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Vanier
vanier · 13 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Aylmer
aylmer · 14 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Gatineau
gatineau · 17 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Kanata
kanata · 19 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Orléans
orleans · 20 km · America/Toronto
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is associated in the current source trail with Porter Airlines, Air Transat, Air Canada, which makes carrier-specific schedule checks especially important before acting on a route plan.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Montréal (YUL), Syracuse (SYR), Rochester (ROC). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Air Canada and Air Transat and a home base for Canadian North.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: 4,866,236 passengers (2025).
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 3 runways; longest runway 10,000 ft / 3,048 m; identifiers 04/22, 07/25, 14/32.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (3); 2 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Historical opening year: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Network role: Porter Airlines, Air Transat, Air Canada.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from YOW. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau International AirportYUL
Montréal · large airport
- Distance
- 151 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 118 ft (36 m)
Compare against YUL when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Syracuse Hancock International AirportSYR
Syracuse · large airport
- Distance
- 248 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 421 ft (128 m)
Compare against SYR when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International AirportROC
Rochester · large airport
- Distance
- 292 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 559 ft (170 m)
Compare against ROC when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Companion Planning Tools
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) in?▾
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is in the America/Toronto timezone (UTC-04:00, EDT).
What are the codes for Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?▾
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport uses IATA code YOW and ICAO code CYOW.
Where is Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport located?▾
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is located in Ottawa, Canada at coordinates 45.3225° N, 75.6692° W, with an elevation of 374 ft (114 m) (low-elevation field in the mid-latitudes).
How far is Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport from central Ottawa?▾
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport sits roughly 10 km from the nearest mapped city center for Ottawa.
Which route reference is most useful from YOW?▾
Montréal (YUL) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 1m, destination timezone America/Toronto, and a +0h difference from YOW.
Which authority regulates YOW?▾
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport sits inside Canada, where civil aviation oversight is led by the Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA).
What other airports in Canada are close peers to YOW?▾
YOW's curated peers in Canada on this site include YUL Montréal, YYZ Toronto, YQB Quebec, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport have?▾
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 3 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 10,000 ft / 3,048 m; identifiers include 04/22, 07/25, 14/32.