FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2015
OTTAWA — NAV Canada and the Canadian Airports Council today issued the Airspace Change Communications and Consultation Protocol. The protocol outlines a strong commitment by Canada’s air sector to improve consultation with communities affected when flight path changes are proposed around major airports. It will also provide better coordination and management of noise concerns from the community.
“Together with airlines and airports we are committed to engaging with communities. This new protocol provides a framework for improved dialogue and better consideration of community noise issues in the flight path design process,” said John Crichton, President and CEO, NAV Canada. “We will not always be able to eliminate the impacts of aviation activity but we are committed to meaningful dialogue with communities in order to achieve as much as possible, consistent with safety and overall environmental considerations”
“Canada’s airports appreciate that the vital social and economic roles they serve as the “front doors” to their communities also comes with the responsibility to be good neighbours,” said Daniel Robert Gooch, president of the Canadian Airports Council. “With our partners in air navigation and the air carrier community, our shared goal for this protocol is to improve engagement with local communities when there are flight path changes being considered that could impact residents and ensure that the organizations involved work together to consider community feedback in the flight path design process. Canada’s airports look forward to playing a positive, central role in this process.”
The protocol was developed by the CAC and NAV Canada, with the participation of Canada’s air carriers, following a request from the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport.
“Resident groups have raised concerns with me and the local Member of Parliament regarding flight paths and the consultation process that precedes their implementation” said Minister Raitt. “Several months ago I asked NAV Canadaand select airports to see what could be done to address these concerns. Today I’m pleased that they have responded with concrete measures that will ensure effective community engagement when changes to flight paths are being considered.”
The Airspace Change Communications and Consultation Protocol outlines the roles of various organizations in the aircraft noise issue, what type of airspace changes will be subject to consultation and how that consultation will be undertaken. The protocol applies to proposed changes at airports with more than 60,000 annual Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) movements annually. The protocol can be viewed at cacairports.ca and navcanada.ca/airspace.
About the Canadian Airports Council
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC), a division of Airports Council International-North America, is the voice for Canada’s airports community. Its 48 members represent more than 100 airports, including all of the privately operated National Airports System (NAS) airports and many municipal airports across Canada. Together, CAC members handle virtually all of the nation’s air cargo and international passenger traffic, and 95% of domestic passenger traffic. Canada’s airports are independently operated by non-share capital corporations that are fully responsible for self-funding their operating and infrastructure costs.
About NAV Canada
NAV Canadais the country’s private sector civil air navigation service provider. With operations from coast to coast to coast, NAV Canada provides air traffic control, flight information, weather briefings, aeronautical information services, airport advisory services and electronic aids to navigation.
