Originfacts

Airport guide

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International AirportIATA code YOW

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Ottawa, Canada in North America. The airfield connects travelers with essential regional transit routes and operating carrier options.

yow.ca(official website, opens in a new tab)View map(Google Maps, opens in a new tab)
Serves
Ottawa, Canada
Codes
YOW · CYOW
IATA · ICAO
Time zone
America/Toronto
Region
North America
Airport record, updated 10 Jul 2026OurAirports, 5 Oct 2026Wikidata, 5 Oct 2026Terminals and transport not yet verifiedWhere this comes from

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Ottawa, Canada in North America. Operating on America/Toronto local time at coordinates 45.320°, -75.670°, the airfield functions as an active commercial transit hub for scheduled regional and international flights. Travelers navigating Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) are encouraged to confirm terminal layouts, ground transport connections into Ottawa, and flight schedules with their operating carrier prior to travel.

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport details

Airport record · 10 Jul 2026
IATA code
YOW
ICAO code
CYOW
City
Ottawa
Country
Canada
Region
North America
Time zone
America/Toronto
Coordinates
45.322°, -75.669°
From OurAirports
Official website
yow.ca (opens in a new tab)
From Wikidata

Codes, region and time zone come from the Originfacts airport record (last updated 10 Jul 2026). Fields marked otherwise come from the dataset named on them. None are verified by hand against Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport’s own pages.

YOW airport facts

OurAirports · Wikidata
Size class
Large airport
From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026); OurAirports’ own classification
Elevation
114 m (374 ft)
From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026)
Owner
Transport Canada
Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026)
Passengers, 2024
4.51 million
Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026), citing www150.statcan.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)
Named after
Ottawa, John A. Macdonald, George-Étienne Cartier
Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026)
Nearest airport with scheduled flights
Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport YRO · 15 km
OurAirports scheduled-service flag; straight-line distance calculated

Runways at YOW

OurAirports · 5 Oct 2026

Source: OurAirports (opens in a new tab) runways data (public domain), retrieved 5 Oct 2026. Not an aeronautical source — not for navigation.

3 open runways, 2 lit. Longest 14/32: 3,048 m, asphalt.

Runways at YOW: length, width, surface and lighting
RunwayLengthWidthSurface
14/323,048 m10,000 ft61 masphalt
07/252,438 m8,000 ft61 masphalt
04/221,006 m3,300 ft23 masphalt

Routes from YOW

No route records yet

Originfacts does not track any routes from YOW yet, so no route records are listed here. Check current schedules with the airlines or the airport’s own site.

Where YOW is

Calculated

12 km south

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport lies 12 km south of Ottawa city centre in a straight line. Road distance is longer; transport options are not yet verified (see terminals and transport below).

Calculated from the airport coordinates (OurAirports) and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point.

Terminals, transport and parking at YOW

Not yet verified

Terminal assignments, ground transport into Ottawa, parking, lounges and accessibility services have not been verified against Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport’s own pages yet, so none are listed here.

Check directly:yow.ca (opens in a new tab)Map of the airport location (opens in a new tab)

Before you travel

  • Confirm your terminal with the operating airline.
  • Check the check-in and bag-drop cut-off times on your booking.
  • Allow extra time if you need to change terminals or check bags in again.
  • Check your flight status before you leave for the airport.

Airports near Ottawa

Calculated

Straight-line distances calculated from each airport’s coordinates in the Originfacts airport records. Road distances are longer.

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport: common questions

Where is Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport serves Ottawa, Canada. Its coordinates in OurAirports are 45.322°, -75.669°.

What are the airport codes for Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?

The IATA code is YOW and the ICAO code is CYOW.

What time zone is YOW in?

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is in the America/Toronto time zone.

What is the official website of Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?

The airport’s official website is yow.ca. For questions about a booking, contact the operating airline.

How many runways does Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport have?

OurAirports lists 3 open runways at YOW: 14/32 (3,048 m (10,000 ft), asphalt); 07/25 (2,438 m (8,000 ft), asphalt); 04/22 (1,006 m (3,300 ft), asphalt).

How many passengers use Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?

Wikidata records 4.51 million passengers for 2024, the latest year it holds.

Who owns Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?

Per Wikidata, YOW is owned by Transport Canada.

How far is YOW from Ottawa city centre?

Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is about 12 km south of Ottawa city centre in a straight line, calculated from coordinates. The distance by road is longer.

What is the elevation of Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?

OurAirports gives YOW’s elevation as 114 m (374 ft) above sea level.

Sources

Nothing on this page is verified by hand yet. Each section comes from the dataset below, with its date where the dataset has one. Terminal, transport and parking details are left out until they can be read from Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport’s own pages.

Background reading:Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)