June 20th, 2023
Ottawa, ON
Canada’s airports support actions to drive greater accountability for all players in the national air transportation ecosystem. We support a shared accountability framework across the ecosystem, with establishment of service-level standards among government agencies, airports and airlines. Indeed, airports have already proposed a comprehensive set of actions that all aviation system partners can take to increase transparency and improve air travel.
“We believe that constructive engagement among aviation stakeholders is essential for improving passenger experience and coping with future disruptions to Canada’s aviation ecosystem. We also believe that better data-sharing is in the best interest of the travelling public,” said RJ Steenstra, President and CEO of Billy Bishop / Toronto City Airport and Chair of the Canadian Airports Council.
Bill C-52, the Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in the Transportation System Act, was tabled Tuesday and will be reviewed and debated in the months to come. Canada’s airports intend to be active, engaged participants in that process, as we were in Transport Canada’s spring consultation.
“Public transparency between aviation partners is key to a seamless travel journey in the vital air sector, said Canadian Airports Council President Monette Pasher. “We already share accountability through our commercial contractual relationships and are continually improving communications for the passenger. This is all part of an intense summer readiness push across the ecosystem. Airports have been working to coordinate our own preparations with those of the airlines, government and third-party contractors, in order to help improve security, boarding, baggage, customs and ground handling.”
Pasher said the Canadian aviation industry is in a drastically different place than it was a year ago.
“Many advancements have been made to improve the passenger journey, including rebuilding the workforce, streamlining the number of third-party contractors, and implementing new digital processes, including advanced declaration, express security, and mobile passport control. Our top priorities today are innovation and better access to infrastructure investment,” she said.
“We will continue to review this legislation to understand the potential impact on airports and communities. Canada’s airports are economic engines for communities across the country, and we will continue to innovate to deliver a smooth and efficient passenger experience for Canadians from coast to coast.”
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 60 members represent more than 100 airports, including all of the privately operated National Airports System (NAS) airports and many municipal airports across Canada.
Prior to the pandemic, Canada’s airports supported nearly 200,000 jobs, generating $13 billion in wages and $7 billion in taxes to all levels of government.
For more information, please contact:
Julie Pondant, Canadian Airports Council
