Airport and Flight Delays

Location: National

Issue/Source: Various media reports

Date: January 10, 2023

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 Canada quickly 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.
  • Significant improvements were made by partners in the air sector, including due to signifcant hiring and training of new employees, and performance had returned to near pre pandemic levels.
  • I will continue to work with industry to ensure improve the facilitation of passengers transiting through the Canadian air transport system.

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 issues at Canada’s airports including long line-ups for security screening and in the Customs Hall, aircraft being held on the tarmac, delays and cancellations, as well as mishandled baggage.
  • Transport Canada created the Airport Recovery Operations Committee (AROC) in May 2022 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 meet regularly to ensure collaboration and communication on managing airport congestion issues. 
  • 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. As of January 5, 2023, all air travellers two years of age and older, taking a flight originating from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macao that lands in Canada must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status.
  • Canada and United States faced a spike in flight disruptions over the holiday period, with a major impact on travellers. Given the unprecedented scale, severity and duration of adverse weather across Canada over the busy holiday travel period, major travel disruptions were inevitable and unavoidable, in all modes: air, rail and road. With the exception of Sunwing passengers, most operations were reinstated quite quickly following the major weather events and performance metrics are returning to normal.
  • For the week of January 2 – 8, 2023, 90 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 percent of passengers were screened within 15 minutes or less.
  • Cancellations at Canada’s four largest airports have stabilized.  For the week of January 2 – 8, 2023, 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 January 2 - 8, at the top 15 airports, 45 percent of flights experienced a delay – of those, 30 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.

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