NEXUS
Reaches 400,000 Members
|
The
Department of Public Safety recently announced
that the NEXUS program has reached the 400,000 member
mark.
"I am pleased that membership in the NEXUS program
continues to grow. This vital bi-national program
facilitates quick and secure entry into Canada and the
United States, helping to promote trade and travel
between our two countries," said Public Safety Minister
Vic Toews.
NEXUS has been in operation for eight years and now
is available at eight Canadian airports, at 17 land
border crossings and at over 430 marine ports of entry.
It is a joint program of the Canada Border Services
Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection that is
designed to simplify border crossings for pre-approved
travellers while enhancing security.
Over the past year, NEXUS members have also enjoyed
additional benefits to their membership including:
- Designated screening lines at pre-board security
screening when flying domestically and on some
international flights from within Canada (U.S. travel
excluded), currently available as a pilot project at
Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa;
- Recognition for the card as an additional document
to demonstrate identity and citizenship to a border
services officer when entering Canada using non-NEXUS
dedicated land lanes or in the marine environment (for
Canadian or U.S. citizens only);
- The NEXUS card continues to fulfill the travel
document requirements of the U.S. Western Hemisphere
Travel Initiative when entering the United States by
air (when used at a kiosk at participating airports),
or by land or water.
|
| Canadian
Traffic Recovery Continues |
Airport
traffic data (top 30 participating airports) and
international traveller data now is available for the
first quarter of 2010, and indicate continued
improvement this year over 2009.
There have been
year over year improvements every month since the year
began, albeit in comparison to a weak 2009.
Domestic recovery was strongest in March, which also saw
a rebound in trans-border and overseas passenger
numbers.
We also see a continuation of overseas
traffic outpacing U.S. Transborder traffic, which
occurred for the first time in 2008. This has been
a long term trend that is likely to continue.
|
WORLD
NEWS
Volcanic Ash Disrupts Airline Industry
Recovery
|
The
International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently
announced international scheduled air traffic results
for April 2010. Passenger demand slumped by 2.4% as a
result of massive flight cancellations centered in
Europe during the six days in April following the
eruptions of an Icelandic volcano. The fall in traffic
interrupted the industry's recovery from the global
financial crisis.
International scheduled cargo
traffic, less impacted by the cancellations, saw the
pace of its recovery slow to 25.2% growth in April (down
from the 28.1% improvement recorded in
March).
"The ash crisis knocked back the global
recovery - impacting carriers in all regions. Last
month, we were within 1% of pre-crisis traffic levels in
2008. In April, that was pushed back to 7%," said
Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and
CEO."European carriers bore the worst of the volcano's
impact. Their 11.7% drop in passenger traffic could not
have come at a worse time. Europe's slow recovery from
the global financial crisis and its currency crisis are
already a huge burden on the profitability of its
airlines."
The April drop in demand in Europe
can be attributed to both the flight cancellations
(two-thirds of the total decline) and follow-on
cancellations due to uncertainty of the availability of
air travel (one-third). Early indications for May show a
rebound in travel from the disrupted levels in
April.
North American carriers posted a 1.9%
decline in demand, primarily as a result of the impact
of the ash crisis on North Atlantic routes. This is a
major step backwards from the 7.8% growth recorded in
March. This fall in demand was less than half the 4.5%
cut in capacity, pushing load factors to 80.2%.
Asia-Pacific carriers saw their strong growth
slow to 3.5% (from the 12.9% growth recorded in March).
Robust GDP growth of 7% (Asia excluding Japan) is
supporting the strong recovery. Middle Eastern airlines
recorded the strongest traffic growth at 13.0%, which is
about half the 25.9% increase of the previous
month.
African carriers also saw their
recovery slow to 8.6% growth in April, down from the
16.9% growth recorded during the previous month.
Latin American carriers posted a 1.2% increase for
the month, a quarter of the 4.6% growth recorded in
March, which was already a weak month as a result of the
Chilean earthquake. |
Airports
in the News
|
Longtime Head of Victoria Airport Steps
Down(Vancouver Sun, June 2, 2010) Windsor Airport Gets $4 Million
Boost(Windsor Star, May 28, 2010) Facelift to Help Fuel Growth of London's
Airport (The Londoner, May 21, 2010) Moncton Airport Gets Body
Scanner(CBC, May 20, 2010) Canadian Airport Duty Free Sales Climb in
April(Moodie Report, May 20, 2010) Canada's air transport policy - now, we've
become uncompetitive(Daily Gleaner, May 10,
2010)
|
CANADIAN
NEWS
NEXUS Trusted Traveller Program Piloted
|
Canadian
air travellers with NEXUS cards can now be expedited
through designated airport security screening lines,
when travelling on domestic and select international
flights (excluding travel to the United States) through
three Canadian airports: Ottawa's Macdonald-Cartier,
Toronto's Lester B. Pearson and Montréal-Pierre Elliott
Trudeau International.
The new Trusted
Traveller/NEXUS trial program is being offered by the
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) in
conjunction with the Canada Border Services Agency
(CBSA) and Transport Canada. The program is
beneficial as it allows NEXUS cardholders to be
expedited through airport security screening, and will
reduce wait times for travellers at other screening
lines.
"With this new initiative, CATSA can take
advantage of an existing security program to improve
customer service and efficiency at airport checkpoints,"
said Kevin McGarr, CATSA's president and chief executive
officer. "The designated screening lines for NEXUS
members will help us make the best use of available
resources and space, while enhancing the passenger
experience and maintaining high security
standards."
All Canadians can apply for a NEXUS
card. To be successful, applicants must undergo a
rigorous risk assessment by both the Canadian and
American governments. CATSA and CBSA work in
collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on
the NEXUS program.
Successful applicants receive
a photo identification card containing basic personal
information and a radio frequency identification (RFID)
chip. Passengers will have to show their NEXUS card and
boarding pass to access the Trusted Traveller/NEXUS
line, where they will be subjected to pre-board
screening.
CATSA will be analyzing the results
of the Trusted Traveller/NEXUS trial program and, based
on the results, will decide whether to expand the
program to other
airports.
|
| Ottawa
Airport Expands Parkade |
The
Ottawa International Airport Authority recently
announced that it is expanding its parkade facility to
meet high levels of customer demand.
The $35
million project, which will break ground this week, will
add approximately 850 spaces at the north end, and will
feature a new wayfinding system, enhanced signage, an
alternate ramp system, a new entrance plaza and a roof
over the entire parkade.
The overall design
includes a future expansion option that will add
approximately 750 more spaces at the south end when
demand calls for it.
Tasked with keeping the
project on track are PCL Constructors, the construction
manager and ZW Group, the project manager. Their added
challenge will be to minimize the impact on our clients
until the project is completed in late fall,
2011.
"Customers may recall that the Parkade has
been expanded already, and may be surprised that we are
growing again," said Paul Benoit, airport authority
president and CEO. "We believe that expansion is our
best and only option at this time."
"This
expansion is not only good news for the airport, but for
Ottawa-Gatineau as well," said Peter Vice, chairman of
the airport authority's board. "Growing demand
confirms that the local economy is in good health, and
as more people fly, we
will be able to serve their
parking needs."
The Ottawa International Airport
Authority operates Ottawa International Airport without
government subsidies under a 60-year lease transfer
agreement with Transport Canada. The authority's mandate
is to manage, operate and develop airport facilities and
lands in support of the economic growth of the National
Capital Region.
|
Happy
Valley-Goose Bay Airport Expansion
|
|
The
federal government recently announced that it and the
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador are investing more
than $31 million to expand the Happy Valley-Goose Bay
airport and make improvements along the Trans Labrador
and Trans Canada Highways.
"The announcement of this
strategic investment by the federal and provincial
governments in the expansion and upgrade of the air
terminal building will not only position Happy
Valley-Goose Bay for future economic growth but also
improve the critical services the Corporation provides
to the region as a whole," said Mr. Paul Snelgrove,
chair of the Goose Bay Airport Corporation.
By investing in the Happy
Valley-Goose Bay air terminal expansion, the governments
are helping to accommodate the heavy passenger traffic
volume passing through the airport daily. The total
eligible cost for this initiative is $12.35 million,
which is being cost-shared between the federal
government, the provincial government and the Goose Bay
Airport Corporation.
The funding announced also will
support upgrades to the Trans Labrador Highway between
Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Wabush, the construction of a
diversion at the Pinware River on Route 510 along the
Trans Labrador Highway in southern Labrador, and the
replacement of the Little Barachois River Bridge on the
Trans Canada Highway in southwestern
Newfoundland.
Under the Canada-Newfoundland
and Labrador Provincial-Territorial Base Funding
Agreement, Newfoundland and Labrador will receive a
total of $175 million from the Government of Canada for
core infrastructure priorities such as water,
wastewater, green energy, and regional and community
airports.
| |
Canada's
Airports:
Working Together, Moving
Forward
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is
the voice for Canada's airports. Formed in 1991, as the
devolution of airports to local control was beginning,
the CAC has established itself as the reliable and
credible federal representative for airports on a wide
range of significant issues and concerns.
Canada's airports are engines for economic
development in the communities they serve and one of
their most important elements of local infrastructure:
Our communities' vital links to intra-provincial,
national and international trade and commerce. Our 47
members represent more than 200 Canadian airports,
including all of the National Airports System (NAS)
airports and most passenger service airports in every
province and territory.
Together, CAC members
handle virtually all of the nation's air cargo and
international passenger traffic and 95% of domestic
passenger traffic. The economic impact of CAC member
airports is staggering. They create well in excess of
$45 billion in economic activity in the communities they
serve. And more than 200,000 jobs are directly
associated with CAC member airports, generating a
payroll of more than $8 billion annually.
| | |
| Upcoming
Events |
|
June 2-3, 2010
CAC CEO Forum
June
6-9, 2010
ACI-NA Marketing Communications
Conference & Jumpstart in San
Diego
Sept. 26-29, 2010
ACI-NA Annual
Conference & EXhibition in
Pittsburgh
Oct. 4-7, 2010
ACI-NA Fall
Public Safety & Security Conference in
Alexandria, Va.
Oct. 26-27, 2010
CAC Board Meeting in
Toronto
Nov. 1-3, 2010
ACI World
Assembly, Conference & Exhibition in
Bermuda
Nov. 8-11, 2010
ACI-NA Airport
Concessions Conference in Phoenix
April 21-23, 2011
Airports Canada 2011
Conference & Exhibition in Ottawa
Dec. 9, 2011
International Aviation Issues
Seminar in Washington, D.C.
For more details on ACI-NA events, please visit
the
ACI Web site
CAC
board and committee meetings are open to all
members
| |
Tourism
Snapshot from the Canadian Tourism Commission
Short-Term
Market Outlook from the Canadian Tourism
Commission
|
| |
