CAC welcomes the future

The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is welcoming the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Transport’s aviation study entitled “The Future of Canadian Air Travel: Toll Booth or Spark Plug?, calling it timely and pointing out that it supports industry efforts to work with government on improving Canada’s aviation competitiveness. CAC chairman, Tom Ruth said that “Many of the recommendations on airport policy are consistent with our own efforts to work with government and our airline and tourism sector partners to improve the competitiveness of our sector. As our member airports will do in the coming days and weeks, we encourage the government to carefully consider its recommendations.” In commenting on the report, CAC points out that it includes several themes that airports broadly support: !!! That it is time that the government of Canada stop thinking of airports as sources of public revenue and begin to recognize them as economic “spark plugs” for their communities. !!! There is no appropriate “one size fits all” when it comes to how the government of Canada approaches airport policy and a National Airports System. !!! That airport rent should be phased out and ownership of airports be transferred to the local airport authorities that operate them. !!! Cross border shopping of air travel by Canadians flying out of neighbouring U.S. airports instead of Canadian ones is a growing concern from coast to coast. !!! Airport transit connections should continue to be streamlined. !!! Airport governance in Canada is working. CAC president Daniel-Robert Gooch said that “After two decades of tremendous change in our industry, a study of this nature is timely and the contents of this report will certainly flavour the nature of our ongoing discussions with government and industry partners. We look forward to seeing the subsequent reports in the committee’s work.” Go to http://www.cacairports.ca for more.