C.1 Description of administrative flight services
National Defence (ND) operates the Administrative Flight Service (AFS) for
members of the royal family, the governor general, the prime minister, former
prime ministers travelling for purposes related to their former office, Cabinet
ministers, foreign dignitaries visiting Canada, parliamentary committees or
delegations on official business and, when authorized by a minister, senior
federal officers on government business. The service consists of one
12-passenger Challenger aircraft and three nine-passenger Challenger aircraft
and is capable of providing air transportation on a national and on a limited
international basis.
The AFS will operate throughout the year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day,
from 412 Squadron of National Defence, which is located at the Shell Aerocentre
adjacent to the Ottawa Airport.
Flight Co-ordination Centre
The Flight Co-ordination Centre (FCC) at 412 Squadron in Ottawa provides a
central co-ordination and scheduling service. The telephone number of this
centre is (613) 990-5085.
C.2 Guidelines for use
Government administrative aircraft are to be used only for government
business and when:
- the flight is being made to a point where there is no commercial air
service, when no space is available on a commercial air service, or when,
because of difficulties in routings or timetables, substantial savings of
essential time can be made by using administrative aircraft in place of
commercial services;
- sudden changes in plans require emergency air transportation and no
commercial air service is available; or
- official parties of some size need to travel together and significant
advantage can be gained by using a government aircraft.
C.3 Approving authority
The minister of National Defence is the sole approving authority for flights
conducted under the provisions of these guidelines.
C.4 Charges
Charges are not levied for use of the Challenger aircraft of the AFS or for
special flights, those that carry members of the royal family, the governor
general, the prime minister, or former prime ministers travelling for purposes
relating to their former office.
Charges are levied for flights using other types of ND aircraft (such as
Airbus, etc.) when a flight is arranged by the governor general, the prime
minister, the speaker of the House of Commons or the Senate or involves a
minister of the Crown, members of parliamentary committees or delegations on
official business, foreign heads of state, visiting dignitaries, and senior
officials travelling on government business.
The charges levied will be the incremental costs of the flight for the
particular aircraft type used, as determined by ND.
C.5 Booking procedures
The office of the minister requesting the flight should telephone the FCC at
990-5085 at the earliest opportunity to give a preliminary indication of the
requirement, including a tentative itinerary and the number of passengers to be
carried.
The minister requesting the flight must also forward a formal written request
for the flight to the Minister of National Defence, except in cases of
emergency; the written request should reach the minister at least 48 hours
before the time of departure.
The written request must include:
- an itinerary of the trip indicating all points of departure and arrival;
- the reason why the use of government-owned aircraft is requested;
- the reason why commercial air service cannot be used;
- a complete passenger list showing departure and arrival points of
passengers and their affiliation;
- the contact person (and telephone number) in the requesting minister's
office;
- in addition, the following statement must be included immediately above
the signature block:
- "I [or my minister] request[s] the use of this aircraft, fully
cognizant of the guidelines for use of the AFS, consistent with the
government's commitment to financial restraint and consistent with the Conflict
of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders";
and
- the signature of the minister requesting the flight or the signature of
the minister's chief of staff on behalf of the minister.
Flight arrangements will conform to the information contained in the written
request to the Office of the Minister of National Defence or as subsequently
arranged by the FCC (with approval from the Office of the Minister of National
Defence, if there are substantial changes to the written request).
C.6 Restrictions
Requests will normally be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Conflicting priorities and unforeseen requirements will be referred to the
Minister of National Defence for resolution. The order of precedence in the
Cabinet will be used to resolve conflicts. To optimize the scheduling of
aircraft, restrictions on changes to previously co-ordinated itineraries are
necessary. Operational constraints, such as crew duty time and the availability
of airport services, could disrupt future schedules and have an impact on the
services offered or promised to other ministers.
Additionally, stops not contained in the original itinerary should not be
planned at intermediate points to pick up or discharge passengers. If such stops
or itinerary changes are necessary, they must be co-ordinated with and agreed to
by the FCC (which will in turn contact the Office of the Minister of National
Defence for approval).
The FCC or the Office of the Minister of National Defence will inform
ministers requesting air transportation of the availability of aircraft
proceeding on compatible flight schedules. Ministers should make every effort to
make joint use of aircraft in the interests of efficient use of government
resources; however, no more than eight ministers of the Crown are to travel on
the same aircraft at the same time.
C.7 Reporting
National Defence will make information on the use of administrative aircraft
available to the public in a monthly report that provides:
- the name of the minister requesting the aircraft;
- the date(s) of trips and the location(s) visited;
- the name(s) of the passenger(s);
- the purpose of the trip(s); and
- the number of hours flown.
Enquiries regarding any particular trip will be referred to the office of the
minister requesting the trip.
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