Airport comparison · YOW vs YRO
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier (YOW) vs Ottawa (YRO)
In short
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) is 11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of central Ottawa; Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport (YRO) is 6 km (4 mi) northeast.
The two airports are 15 km (10 mi) apart.
OurAirports classifies YOW as a large airport and YRO as medium-sized.
Distances are great-circle from Natural Earth's point for Ottawa; airport data from OurAirports, retrieved 2026-10-18.
Data updated
Side by side
| YOWOttawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport | YROOttawa / Rockcliffe Airport | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance from central Ottawa | 11 km (7 mi) | 6 km (4 mi) |
| Direction from the centre | SSE (167°) | NE (44°) |
| OurAirports class | Large | Medium |
| Longest runway | 3,048 m (10,000 ft) | 1,006 m (3,300 ft) |
| Runways | 3 | 1 |
| Elevation | 114 m (374 ft) | 57 m (188 ft) |
| Country | Canada | Canada |
The two airports are 15 km (10 mi) apart in a straight line.
What the data shows
YOW's longest runway is 6,700 ft (2,042 m) longer than YRO's.
How we calculated this: Difference of OurAirports longest runway lengths.
OurAirports classifies YOW as a large airport and YRO as medium-sized.
How we calculated this: OurAirports airport type (large_airport / medium_airport).
Where they are
Search flights to Ottawa
Fares and schedules differ by airport; compare both on the results page.
Not covered in this guide yet
Getting to the city · Which airport to choose. We only add these once we can cite an official or verified source.