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Civil aviation continues to be the mode of transport most influenced by economic
fluctuations, technological change and public perception of travel safety. Canada
has also experienced in recent years a significant shift away from public sector
ownership and operation of its transport facilities, including major airports and
the air navigation system. Some of the more important aspects of the civil aviation
scene in Canada and the challenges that they pose for Transport Canada’s Civil
Aviation program over the next five years include:
Canada’s vastness means that both its airspace and aviation community are among
the largest in the world. The population of licensed personnel and registered
aircraft ranks second, and the aerospace industry ranks fifth accounting for:
- 50% of the commercial turbine helicopter market;
- 35% of the business jet market;
- 33% of the small turbine market;
- 60 to 75% of the market for aircraft environmental systems, aircraft landing
gear systems and commercial simulators.
Transport Canada regulates a wide array of stakeholders including air operators,
aeronautical product manufacturers, maintenance organizations, aircraft owners and
operators, flying schools, airport operators and air navigation service providers;
in all, there are approximately 100,000 persons and organizations holding approval
documents issued by Transport Canada. The challenge is to deliver an effective Civil
Aviation program from 35 Transport Canada Centres located across the country with
approximately 1,400 personnel, nearly 60% of whom are inspectors and engineers.
Transport Canada is well on its way to completing its transition from the role of
regulator/operator to regulator/landlord. The air navigation system has been
commercialized as have most of Canada’s busiest airports. The responsibility for
operating all but a few airports in remote locations will have been transferred
before the end of 2005. The challenge is to have in place a tried and tested safety
framework for these commercially-oriented entities.
There is increasing pressure from the public and media regarding noise reductions
and engine emissions. Environmental controls will likely become a major issue for
the aviation community in the next five years. The challenge is to incorporate
environmental issues into our rule-making process with the same degree of
thoroughness and industry consultation as safety issues while recognizing the
overriding requirement that safety must not be compromised.
Commercial air operators and manufacturers are faced with maintaining a
competitive edge in an ever-widening global marketplace. Increasingly, this results
in fleet-mix changes to match aircraft capacity with demand, route changes, complex
leasing arrangements, multi-national alliances, trans-national production sites and
joint ventures in complex and/or expensive projects. These competitive adjustments
will continue with increasing frequency. This creates a significant challenge for
Transport Canada in terms of being able to react in a timely and consistent manner.
Patterns vary across the aviation community. Continued robust growth is
anticipated in the manufacturing industry while traffic and aircraft movements in
the commercial passenger-carrying sector are expected to grow steadily. Recreational
aviation (e.g., sport parachuting and ultra-light aeroplanes) and unmanned aerial
vehicles are the main areas of growth in general aviation. The challenge is to meet
these demands while maintaining stability and experience in the face of an aging
workforce and industry recruitment initiatives.
Although opinion polls demonstrate that the public has confidence in the safety
of Canada’s aviation system, increased media attention following aviation accidents
and incidents raises the profile of aviation safety and has the potential to erode
this confidence. Articles on the safety aspects of flying are becoming more
numerous. It is important for Transport Canada to become pro-active in providing the
media and the public with well-researched and factual information on the safety of
the aviation system and Civil Aviation’s role in safety management.
Despite the dramatic structural changes that have taken place in the last five
years, Transport Canada continues to be a mainstream federal government department
with a clear mandate to regulate and promote aviation safety. Responsiveness to
federal initiatives, aimed at improving service delivery and cultivating more
business-like practices, can be expected to significantly influence how the Civil
Aviation program is delivered and managed. Increased emphasis will be needed in such
areas as cost recovery, service standards, performance measurement and process
re-engineering. Transport Canada is taking steps to improve its human resource
management and development practices. The challenge is to create a work environment
that is attractive to individuals both inside and outside the Civil Aviation
program.
The shift to performance-based and harmonized regulations is well underway in
some parts of the Civil Aviation program but is only just starting to become a focus
of attention in others. The challenge is to expedite, where appropriate, the
adoption of performance-based regulations and the harmonization of our regulations,
both performance-based and prescriptive, with our international partners.
The appointment of non-Transport Canada personnel to exercise certain powers on
behalf of the Minister is a long-established safety management practice designed to
improve service without compromising safety. The challenge is to continue to
identify and promote delegation opportunities while ensuring that they remain an
integral and complementary component of the Civil Aviation program.
Globally, airline activity is expected to double over the next 15 years. If the
current low accident rate is maintained, the statistical reality is that the number
of airline accidents will increase. Given that safety is the department’s top
priority, the challenge for Transport Canada along with other aviation authorities
is to find innovative ways to counter this trend by lowering the accident rate even
further.
Manufacturers are facing the challenge of producing lighter, quieter, more fuel
efficient aircraft that assuage environmental concerns while remaining competitive.
This calls for shorter design cycles; better management controls; and the
development and use of advanced materials, structures and avionics. Private,
business and commercial operators alike must deal with the problems inherent to an
aging fleet of aircraft and technological complexities of the new generation of
aircraft including non-certified amateur-built and ultralight aeroplanes. Similarly,
air navigation service providers and airport operators are using state-of-the-art
technology. The challenge for Transport Canada’s safety specialists is to keep pace
with the rapidly changing knowledge and skill requirements of new technologies.
Collectively, these external forces are shaping Transport Canada’s Civil Aviation
program. To meet the challenges that they pose, Transport Canada must maintain a
professional workforce which understands how the rapidly changing civil aviation
scene is affecting its safety partners in the aviation community. In the atmosphere
of finite resources, globalization and Canada’s geographic diversity, the watchwords
are practical consultation, innovation and realism. As civil aviation continues to
grow in Canada, the improved safety benefits will be enormous if these challenges
are tackled decisively and in partnership with stakeholders.
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