Location: National
Issue/Source: Various media reports
Date: November 30, 2022
Suggested Responses
- Transport Canada’s top priority remains the safety, security and efficiency of Canada’s transportation system.
- Canada’s leading international airports experienced heightened delays and cancellations in the spring/summer 2022 travel period due to a reduced workforce in a tight labour market, and travel demand that outstripped the system’s capacity to hire, train, and certify staff at the pace required.
- Between February and June 2022, passenger traffic in Canada increased more than 280%, compared to about a 58% increase in the United States during that same time period.
Airport congestion was a global phenomenon. In Canada, the Government of Canadaquickly responded to support the industry’s recovery, working closely with other government departments and industry, including airports and airlines, to remove bottlenecks, create efficiencies, and streamline processes for travellers.
- For example, pre-board security screening wait times across the country are trending down. And at Canada’s four largest airports, flight cancellations continue to trend downward as well.
- Aggressive recruitment by CATSA’s screening contractors has continued since spring/summer 2022, and more than 2,000 screening officers have been hired across Canada since April 2022.
- Significant improvements have been made throughout the spring/summer and our performance metrics continue to trend in the right direction. Canadians can be confident that preparations are underway to ensure the system remains ready as we enter the winter holiday season and prepare for the spring/summer 2023 travel peaks.
IF PRESSED ON AIR SECTOR SUMMIT
- On November 24, 2022, I hosted the Air Sector Recovery Summit, convening senior leadership from across Canada’s air sector – including air carriers, airport operators, industry and trade associations, unions, CATSA, NAV CANADA, and the CBSA – to discuss critical issues facing commercial passenger air transportation and the future of the sector in Canada.
- A questionnaire was distributed to summit participants and broader stakeholders to seek their perspectives on these critical issues. The Summit and survey responses will inform the work of Transport Canada, along with other government and industry partners, as they develop approaches to continue supporting Canada’s air sector recovery and improvements in services for travellers
IF PRESSED ON US CBP
- Transport Canada is monitoring delays in processing of passengers at United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance facilities. This affects CATSA processing, as they need to limit the number of people who enter the preclearance area. We are working with US CBP officials to address these issues and improve processing times for preclearance checkpoints.
- Transport Canada continues to make every effort to address these issues while ensuring the highest level of security is provided to the travelling public.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- Over the spring/summer 2022 travel season, the media reported significant delays at CATSA screening checkpoints and at CBSA primary inspection lines.
- Transport Canada created the Airport Recovery Operations Committee (AROC) with participants from the largest airlines and airports as well as the CBSA, CATSA and NAV Canada to investigate causes and recommend solutions for addressing airport congestion issues.
- AROC members – including Air Canada, WestJet, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary airports, NAV Canada, CATSA, and CBSA – continue to update each other as they plan for the upcoming winter holiday season.
- Effective October 1, 2022, all federal border testing, quarantine, and isolation requirements ended. Passengers are no longer required to wear a mask while onboard a plane in Canada.
- For the week of November 14 – 20, 91.36 percent of passengers at Canada’s top 15 airports were screened within 15 minutes or less. This is a significant improvement from the week of July 11 – 17, where 80.5 percent of passengers were screened within 15 minutes or less.
- Cancellations at Canada’s four largest airports continue to trend downward. For the week of November 14 – 20, at the top four airports, two percent of flights were cancelled. In comparison, for the week of June 27 – July 3, eight percent of flights were cancelled.
- For the week of November 14 – 20, at the top 15 airports, 40 percent of flights experienced a delay – of those, 28 percent were delayed by 15 minutes to one hour. In comparison, for the week of June 27 – July 3, 57 percent of flights at the top 15 airports were delayed – of those, 34 percent were delayed by 15 minutes to one hour.