PRINCE GEORGE – Mayor Lyn Hall has added his signature to those of the mayors of five other Canadian cities which find their airports under review by NAAV CANADA.
It was last fall, NAV CANADA’s review of the six airports became known. YXS is one of those six airports. The review could result in the loss of air traffic control.
“Losing the Air Traffic Control services in our various communities would be economically and socially devastating. The communities and geographical areas that we serve are unique from one another and vast, acting as everything from points of entry into our country to the transport hubs for industry and healthcare workers into our respective jurisdictions. Both our national and regional economic growth and recovery from the pandemic depend upon our ability to sustain critical jobs in the sector and attract visitors and businesses to our communities. Given the dire state of the aviation sector, diminishing our service levels could not occur at a worse time. ”
NAV CANADA is citing declining numbers in November 2020 as compared to the same month the year before. But Mayor Lyn Hall says conducting the review during a global pandemic is not form.
“COVID is not a good indicator, a good indicator to go and do a study like this and potentially shut down staffed air traffic control towers. This is not the time for that.”
The other five airports under scrutiny are Whitehorse, Regina, Fort McMurray, Windsor, and Sault Ste. Marie.
