CANADIAN AIR TRANSPORT SECURITY AUTHORITY
Requesting $567,485,819 for the 2022-2023 Main Estimates.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is seeking access to $567,485,819 in planned spending authorities.
KEY MESSAGES:
- $567.5 million in total funding is anticipated through the 2022-23 Main Estimates.
- CATSA’s mandate is to provide effective and efficient screening of persons who access aircraft or restricted areas through screening points, the property in their possession or control, and the belongings or baggage that they give to an air carrier.
- With this funding, CATSA will continue the delivery of its core mandated activities: Pre-Board Screening of air passengers, Hold Baggage Screening, Non-Passenger Screening, and the Restricted Access Identity Card program, which is the administration of access to airports’ restricted areas.
- Canadians will benefit from a professional and effective level of screening services, at or above the standards set by Transport Canada.
Responsive – On Lineups at Major Canadian Airports in the Spring of 2022:
- TC officials are actively engaged in discussions with CATSA officials and industry stakeholders to respond to the recovery of passenger volumes given the delays experienced at the major airports.
BACKGROUND
- The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is an agent Crown corporation with the mandate to protect the public by securing critical elements of the air transportation system as assigned by the Government of Canada.
- For 2022-23, it is expected that CATSA will require $897.2M in total appropriation to maintain the current levels of services, whereby 85 percent of passengers are screened within 15 minutes as a national average, across the eight largest airports. Historically, CATSA’s baseline appropriation has proven insufficient to fund CATSA’s full year operations, and CATSA foresees a similar future shortfall. In this vein, TC submitted a funding request to Finance Canada and CATSA was allocated an additional $329.7M in 2022-23, which is incremental to CATSA’s 2022-23 baseline appropriation ($567.5M).
- CATSA’s priority is to maintain stable screening operations, both during the pandemic period and in preparation for the return of commercial passenger traffic. CATSA forecasts that traffic will surpass pre-COVID-19 levels by 2023-2024. However renewed interest in flying by the Canadian Public, coupled with a labour shortage and other factors, have resulted in long line-ups at major Canadian airports in the spring of 2022.
- Transport Canada (TC) has been engaging with industry stakeholders on the commercialization of CATSA since spring 2019. Despite strong engagement from industry on the process, formal negotiations with stakeholders were put on hold in March 2020 as the Government of Canada and the various private entities that comprise the Designated Screening Authority (DSA) (airport and airline representatives) responded to the pandemic. [ Redacted ]