The voice of Canada’s airports.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007 -
CAC Urges Federal Government to Fulfill Commitment to International Air Policy Liberalization
Airports urge federal government to fulfill Blue Sky commitment to
consider airport and consumer interests and pursue Open Skies agreements
OTTAWA (Feb. 21, 2007) – The Canadian
Airports Council today called on the federal government to fulfill the
commitment it made in its recently revised Blue Sky international air policy to
consider airport and consumer interests and pursue more Open Skies
agreements.The call comes amid recently
expressed interest from foreign carriers interested in increasing service to Canada.
“Last November, the federal government made
a commitment to approach international air policy differently – from ‘a framework
that encourages competition and the development of new and expanded
international air services to benefit travellers, shippers, and the tourism and
business sectors’,” said Canadian Airports Council President and CEO Jim
Facette, quoting the first objective of the government’s recent Blue Sky policy.“We look forward to the government putting
this commitment into action, as foreign markets and their air carriers answer Canada’s call.”
Mr. Facette commended the government for
securing new opportunities for air service in recent talks with Japan – a top trade and tourism partner for Canada.The CAC contends that the true test of the
government’s new policy will be in how Canada
approaches key transit markets, such as Singapore
and the United Arab Emirates.
“Canada’s airports have a responsibility to
market their communities to the world, and have enjoyed a great deal of success
in securing valuable new air routes that increase competition and provide more
choice for travel around the world,” said Mr. Facette.“Nevertheless, these efforts have been
partially stymied by restrictive air regimes that have no place under the
federal government’s new approach to international air policy.”
In addition to the promotion of
competition, the federal government’s Blue Sky policy also commits the
government to an approach that “enables airports to market themselves in a
manner that is unhindered by bilateral constraints to the greatest extent
possible,” and “supports and facilitate Canada’s international trade objectives.”
About
the Canadian Airports Council
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is the voice for Canada’s airports.Its 45 members encompass more than 150 airports, including all of the National Airports System (NAS) airports and most significant municipal 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.They create well in excess of $30 billion in economic activity in the communities they serve.And more than 150,000 jobs are directly associated with CAC member airports, generating a payroll of more than $8 billion annually.
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