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By Jon Robinson |
Building the new space economy
ISS celebrates 25 years of humans in orbit, as businesses vie for the future
If all goes to plan, we are just three or four months away from watching a Canadian make a historic return to the Moon, as part of a NASA crew on a 10-day voyage with Artemis II. That mission, with an initial launch window opening up in February 2026, will be the first voyage to the Moon by astronauts since the last Apollo mission in 1972. It is also the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft.
A subsequent mission, Artemis III, which will then aim to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, has been delayed until at least mid2027; and it could include Canada’s Jenni Gibbons, who currently serves as backup for Jeremy Hansen on his Artemis II mission. The Artemis IV mission is projected to be the first to assemble the Gateway lunar space station, a small lunar outpost that will orbit the moon and include Canadarm3.
The robotic system will feature several distinct parts, including a large, 8.5-metrelong arm; a smaller, more dexterous arm; and a tool and on-orbit replaceable unit caddy. It is being built be Canadian space innovator MDA, based in Brampton, Ont., which developed the original Canadarm and Canadarm2. As the Artemis missions gain momentum, build up of the commercial space industry is following suit.
Airbus, Leonardo and Thales in October signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at combining their respective space activities into a new company, which is to be operational in 2027. The combined entity will be massive, employing around 25,000 people across Europe. With an annual turnover of about €6.5 billion (based on the end of 2024, pro-forma, which equals $10.6 billion in Canadian funds) and an order backlog representing more than three years of
The Internal Ball Camera 2 tests automatically capturing imagery of crew activities aboard the International Space Station.
projected sales, this new company will form a competitive entity worldwide. Ownership of the new company will be shared among the parent companies, with Airbus, Leonardo and Thales owning, respectively, 35 per cent, 32.5 per cent and 32.5 per cent stakes.
This is just one example of the recent high-profile preparations to take advantage of the growing commercial space economy. SpaceX, of course, remains as the face of the sector, highlighted by its pioneering work on reusable booster rockets, which greatly lower the cost of commercial launches.
In October, Blue Origin for the first time landed a fully reusable first-stage rocket on Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean, after the New Glenn orbital launch vehicle successfully completed its second mission, deploying NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE)
TOP DATA BURSTS… in this issue
1. Emirates' order for Boeing 777X reaches to 270 airplanes. P. 9. 2. The cost of electricity to fully charge the Electro Velis is approximately US$3.00. P.16. 3. American Airlines helped to initiate U.S.-Canada pre-clearance back in 1952. P. 22. 4. Canadian passengers screened for domestic flights in September increased 10.2% year over year. P. 24. 5. Flight attendants have gone some 50 years without ground pay. P.38.
twin-spacecraft into the designated loiter orbit.
“We achieved full mission success today, and I am so proud of the team,” said Dave Limp, CEO, Blue Origin. “Never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try. This is just the beginning as we rapidly scale our flight cadence and continue delivering for our customers.”
The ESCAPADE spacecraft will begin their journey to Mars once the planets have returned to the ideal alignment in fall 2026. ESCAPADE will use two identical spacecraft to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic environment and how this interaction drives the planet’s atmospheric escape. In October, Blue Origin also completed the 36th flight for its crewed New Shepard program.
In front of it all sits SpaceX’s mammoth Starship program with goal of commercializing the business of space out to Mars. Starship is a two-stage rocket system, standing approximately 121.3 metres (398 feet) tall – taller than a football field is long from endzone to endzone – and nine metres (30 feet) in diameter. It has a mass of approximately 5,300 metric tons (11.7 million pounds) when fully fuelled and a payload capacity of 100 to 150 metric tons to low Earth orbit.
Canada and its aerospace companies will pay a critical role in building the new space economy from the smallest of systems to largest of robotic arms. The Artemis II mission, if successful, should serve as a starting point for years of preparation. | W
ON THE FLY
THE LEAD
CYGNET BECOMES PORTER TRAINING PARTNER
Cygnet Aviation Academy LP reached a new training agreement with Canada’s fastest growing airline, Porter Airlines. Based in Kingston, Ont., Cygnet was founded in 2023 under the leadership of Lynne McMullen as a unique pilot creation program in Canada. Owned by Chorus Aviation, Cygnet’s intensive program is designed for people with little or no flight experience, providing them with Integrated Airline Pilot License Program training for 20 months, as well as Jet Orientation Training with CAE. Cygnet’s initial airline partnership program, called Jazz Approach, allows graduates, subject to certain conditions, to join Jazz Aviation LP, a Chorus owned company, as First Officers.
In addition to working with Air Transat cadets, Cygnet has now expanded its offering with the Destination Porter Cadet Program, again providing students with a direct route to become a First Officer.
The ab initio pilot training program also leverages CAE and is tailored to Porter’s De Havilland Dash 8-400 fleet. More than 1,500 cadets graduate annually from CAE programs around the world, with the company working with more than 300 airline partners.
The Dash 8-400 type training for Destination Porter is conducted at CAE’s Training Center in Mississauga, Ont. All on-aircraft training is with Cygnet in Kingston. Ac tive Porter Airlines pilots are on hand to mentor cadets in training, providing them with a seamless transition to a pilot career in the Porter Airlines family.
In addition to its Dash 8-400 fleet, Porter is expanding across Canada, into the United States and sun destinations as it continues to take deliveries of up to 100 Embraer E195-E2 jets.
AIRLINES
AIR CANADA EXPANDS AT BILLY BISHOP
Air Canada in late October outlined plans for what it described as a major expansion at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport with new transborder routes to four U.S. cities and increased daily flights to Montréal and Ottawa. The new transborder ser vices, with frequencies favourable to business travel, are scheduled to begin in
Spring 2026 with new, non-stop return service four times daily to New York’s LaGuardia, three times daily to Boston Logan International, twice daily to Chicago O’Hare, and daily to Washington Dulles. The new routes will be operated as Air Canada Express, by Air Canada’s regional partner Jazz Aviation LP, using a 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. The start of Air Canada’s transborder services from Billy Bishop will follow the opening of U.S. Customs Pre-Clearance at the island airpor t, YTZ.
Air Canada notes a full cabin redesign will soon be commenced on 25 De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft operated for Air Canada Express by Jazz. This program includes what the airline describes as next generation, well-padded, ergonomic reclining seats from Expliseat – pitch will be unchanged. The cabins of these same 25 Dash 8-400s will be upgraded to a new standard reflective of Air Canada’s mainline aircraft interiors.
Beginning in January 2026, Air Canada will expand its daily services in Canada’s busiest domestic travel corridors by increasing the frequency of return flights to Montréal to nine from eight, and to six from four to Ottawa. Starting in October 2025, Air Canada began offering free WiFi in-flight to Billy Bishop travellers, who can also access – for eligible domestic customers – the Aspire Air Canada Café. In November, Air Canada opened its fourth grab-and-go concept Air Canada Café at Vancouver International, YVR.
QATAR AIRWAYS TO SELL CATHAY HOLDINGS
Qatar Airways moved to sell its stake in Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways in a share buyback valued at US$896 million. Qatar Airways has been involved with Cathay for eight years and will sell all of its holdings, subject to certain conditions, which represent 9.57 per cent of Cathay stock. “Together with our investment of well over HK$100 billion [CDN$18.1 billion] into our fleet, cabin and lounge products, and digital leadership, we are firmly focused on sustainably growing our business to strengthen Hong Kong’s status as a world-class aviation hub,” said Cathay Group Chair Patrick Healy.
The Destination Porter cadet program sees Canada’s fastest growing airline teaming up with Cygnet Aviation Academy and CAE to offer an airline-focused, cadet-centred training program tailored to Porter’s Dash 8-400 fleet. PHOTO:
Qatar Airways bought its stake in Cathay Pacific in 2017 for around US$662 million, according to The Associated Press, which notes, at the time, Cathay Pacific faced financial losses and layoffs amid increasing competition. The Hong Kong carrier posted a US$1.2 billion profit in the last fiscal year.
Qatar Airways and Cathay will stay connected through the oneworld Alliance, a global partnership of 14 leading airlines with members like American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines and Qantas. The Cathay Group, which is part of the Swire Group, also includes cargo division Cathay Cargo, low-cost carrier HK Express and various subsidiaries. Air China also holds a large portion of Cathay stock. Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 170 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport.
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
GLOBAL 8000 EARNS TC TYPE CERTIFICATION
Bombardier on November 5 announced that the Global 8000 has been awarded Transport Canada Type Certification, paving the way for entry-into-service this year. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification will follow. Bombardier notes Transport Canada Type Certification as the latest achievement for the Global 8000, which completed its first production flight in May and recently rated a new top speed of Mach 0.95.
The aircraft has also completed its type certification with a new industry benchmark for cabin altitude, 2,691 feet at 41,000 feet, which Bombardier describes as the best of any business aircraft in production.
“[Transport Canada Type Certification for the Global 8000] marks a pivotal milestone for Bombardier, our customers and the entire business aviation industry – solidifying the Global 8000’s position as the unrivaled leader setting a new standard,” said Stephen McCullough, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Product Development, Bombardier.
Bombardier notes the Global 8000 is also the only four-zone business jet to offer a range of 8,000 NM and that its advanced wing design, featuring leading-edge slats,
enables customers to master 30 per cent more airports than its closest rival. Business aviation company Comlux is scheduled to take delivery of a new Global 8000 in 2026. Comlux currently operates Global 6000 and Global 6500 aircraft.
DIAMOND DA50 RG RECEIVES TRANSPORT CANADA CERTIFICATION
Diamond Aircraft Industries announced the DA50 RG received Transport Canada type certification. The single-engine piston aircraft combines retractable landing gear and double-slotted flaps to deliver what the company describes as exceptional lift, superior low-speed performance and refined handling.
The DA50 RG features a true five-seat cabin that is complemented by a large rear baggage compartment. “We are very proud to have received Transport Canada type certification for our single engine flagship, the DA50 RG,” said Kevin Sheng, CEO, Diamond Aircraft Industries Canada.
The DA50 RG is powered by a Continental CD-300 turbocharged, FADECcontrolled engine with 300 hp. It is rated for a maximum speed of 335 km/h or 181 kts TAS (at 16,000 feet and 1,700 kg) and a cruise speed (at 82 per cent and 14,000 feet) of 319 km/h or 172 kts TAS. The maximum range of the aircraft (at 45% power with no climb or reserves) is listed at 1,520 km. It has a maximum operating altitude rated at 6,096 metres or 20,000 feet. The aircraft features a fully integrated Garmin G1000NXi flight deck with standard 3-axis GFC700 Automated Flight Control System.
EMIRATES ORDERS 65 MORE BOEING 777X AIRPLANES
Emirates, described as the world’s largest international airline, placed its third order for 777X airplanes. The new order for 65 777-9 passenger jets was announced at the Dubai Airshow and is valued at US$38 billion at list prices. The deal came shortly after Boeing announced that entry into service of the jet would not happen until 2027 amid certification delays. Emirates, which has grown its global network with the Boeing 777 as its flagship, is one of the launch customers for the new 777X family and has placed two previous orders totaling 205 airplanes. The new purchase brings Emirates' 777X order – consisting of the 777-9 and 777-8 models – to 270 airplanes.
Building on the 777, Boeing explains the 777-9 will be the world’s largest twin-engine jet and reduce fuel use and emissions by 20 per cent when compared to the airplanes it replaces. Boeing’s 2025 Commercial Market Outlook projects sustained Middle East demand for widebody airplanes, with the region expected to need nearly 3,000 new widebody jets over the next 20 years.
In early November, a federal judge in Texas granted the government’s request to dismiss a criminal conspiracy charge against Boeing over two 737 Max jetliner crashes that killed 346 people. As part of a deal to drop the charge, The Associated Press notes, Boeing agreed to pay or invest an additional $1.1 billion in fines, provide compensation for the crash victims’ families, and address internal safety and quality measures.
Diamond Aircraft Industries describes the DA50 RG as game-changer in single-engine aviation.
FIRST FLIGHT OF NASA X-59 QUIET SUPERSONIC JET
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, in partnership with NASA, completed the first flight of the X-59, described by the company as a revolutionary, quiet supersonic aircraft designed to pave the way for faster commercial air travel. The X-59 took off from Skunk Works’ facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, before landing 65 kilometres away near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The X-59 performed exactly as planned, according to Lockheed, verifying initial flying qualities and air data performance.
The 100-foot (30 metre) X-59 is designed to demonstrate the ability to fly at supersonic speeds while reducing the sonic boom
Careers in Aviation and Beyond
to a gentle thump. In doing so, the X-59 aims to overcome one of the primary barriers to supersonic commercial flight, which is currently restricted over land due to noise concerns. The X-59’s successful development and flight testing will inform the establishment of new data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land, paving the way for a new generation of supersonic aircraft that can transport passengers and cargo twice as fast as aircraft today.
Skunk Works will continue to lead the aircraft’s initial flight test campaign, working closely with NASA to expand the X-59’s flight envelope over the coming months. Part of this test journey will include the X-59’s first supersonic flights, where the aircraft will achieve the optimal speed and altitude for a quiet boom. This will enable NASA to operate the X-59 to measure its sound signature and conduct community acceptance testing.
BUSINESS AVIATION
LEVAERO OPENS HANGAR AT CNY3
Levaero Aviation, a turnkey aviation solutions provider and the exclusive Pilatus Aircraft sales and service centre in Canada, in October opened its new 12,000-square-foot hangar at Collingwood Regional Airport (CNY3). The new facility will provide fullservice maintenance and support for Pilatus PC-12, PC-24, and other business aircraft customers across Ontario and beyond.
Levaero notes this marks the first time an OEM-affiliated aviation company has established operations at CNY3. Levaero has been present in the region since 2022 and the company explains that the rapid growth of Collingwood and Southern Georgian Bay made further expansion necessary.
“Collingwood is one of Ontario’s fastest-growing communities, and our new hangar ensures business aviation customers have access to the highest-quality service close to home,” said Stan Kuliavas, Levaero’s Vice President of Sales and Business Development. The grand opening celebration on October 7 included remarks from municipal, provincial and federal leaders, representatives from Collingwood Regional Airport, and Pilatus Aircraft executives.
SKYSERVICE OPENS FBO IN NAPA
Skyservice Business Aviation on October 21 announced the opening of its new 60,000-square-foot Fixed Base Operator (FBO) and hangar complex at Napa County Airport (APC). Situated on a 15acre parcel and completed within just one year of breaking ground, Skyservice explains the facility represents a significant milestone in the airport’s modernization and the expansion of premium aviation services in the San Francisco Bay Area. Skyservice notes its Napa FBO is designed to embody the refined character of Napa Valley, offering what it describes as a quiet luxury experience tailored to the expectations of discerning travellers. |
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, in partnership with NASA, successfully completed the first flight of the X-59 in late October.
Leaders from Levaero Aviation and Pilatus Aircraft celebrate the grand opening of Levaero's new 12,000-square-foot hangar in Collingwood on October 7, 2025.
By Tim Anderson |
Sleep apnea and pilots
Fatigue has long been one of aviation’s biggest hazards
Although not entirely new, Transport Canada has recently increased its focus on the signs and risks of sleep apnea.
Pilots in higher-risk categories, such as those with a higher BMI, larger neck circumference, or signs of daytime fatigue, are now more consistently flagged during their aviation medical renewal.
In many cases, these pilots still receive their medical certificate, but it’s now conditional on completing a sleep study and submitting the results before the next renewal. For some, it may feel like another hoop to jump through, but this aligns with what ICAO and the FAA have been practicing for years.
A quiet risk
Fatigue has long been one of aviation’s biggest hazards. The nature of the job, with long duty hours, jet lag, and sometimes stressful and exhausting flying conditions, already poses fatigue risks to flight crews. If a pilot also suffers from an untreated sleep disorder, these risks are compounded.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) occurs when the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, disrupting breathing and depriving the brain of oxygen. This leads to poor-quality sleep, slow reaction times, and decreased cognitive performance.
Untreated sleep apnea can cause a variety of health problems and can even be fatal. That’s why ICAO and the FAA have long encouraged regulators to identify and address the condition among flight crews before it becomes a safety threat.
Sleep apnea increases the risk of cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and heart failure due to repeated drops in blood oxygen levels. Other risks include daytime fatigue, type 2 diabetes, cognitive and mood disorders like depression, and additional health complications.
ICAO, FAA – and now TC
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires that pilots not be affected by any condition that could lead to incapacitation in flight. Its Manual of Civil Aviation Medicine (Doc 8984) highlights
sleep-related breathing disorders as a concern when there’s excessive daytime sleepiness, high BMI, or similar markers.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed its own structured approach based on those principles many years ago. Under FAA policy, pilots at risk of OSA must undergo a sleep study and demonstrate effective treatment, often via CPAP therapy, before retaining certification.
Transport Canada (TC) is now reinforcing ICAO standards and pursuing a more consistent approach during medicals.
What’s actually changing
The regulations themselves have not been rewritten, but TC is informing pilots and CAMEs more frequently that additional results, testing, or examinations are necessary. CAMEs are encouraged to review known risk factors and refer pilots for sleep studies when appropriate.
In practice, this means:
• If you have a high BMI (30 kg/m or more), a large neck diameter, or persistent daytime sleepiness, or a combination of these, your examiner or TC may suggest require a sleep study.
• If OSA is confirmed, you will need to provide proof of effective treatment, usually through CPAP compliance data or a physician’s report.
• Your medical certificate may not be renewed during the next medical exam
until you demonstrate that the issue is under control.
• Delays in completing the process could delay your renewal.
How it works
For pilots who are flagged, there are a few options. A more detailed review by your doctor might be enough to show you are not at risk or that a sleep study is not necessary. For those who must undergo a sleep study, it’s important to remember it can take months to get an appointment, and this should be discussed with your CAME and TC, depending on the request for more information.
Sleep studies involve sensors attached to your head, chest and legs, as well as straps around your chest and stomach to monitor breathing. A device, often a cannula, is used to track nasal breathing. Once set up, you will spend the night being monitored while technicians record and observe the data. The results, once analyzed, will indicate which treatment, if any, and to what extent might be necessary. CPAP therapy, while effective, can take some time to adjust to. The good news is that treatment works.
Most people with OSA who use CPAP consistently experience better sleep, increased energy, and improved overall health. From a regulatory perspective, demonstrating compliance is relatively straightforward. CPAP machines usually record usage data, which can be downloaded and shared with your physician or CAME. This data shows how often the machine is used, the duration of each night’s use, and whether the treatment is effective. With this information, TC can confidently renew your medical certificate, knowing the condition is well-managed.
If you have been flagged as possibly being at risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or if Transport Canada has specifically requested additional information or documentation, it’s important to speak with your CAME. Your CAME can help you understand the request, guide you through the necessary steps to address it, and assist in identifying and managing any potential underlying health issues that may currently be unnoticed or undiagnosed. | W
SAFETY IS ALWAYS IN REACH™
SR Series G7+ featuring Safe Return™ Emergency Autoland, now Transport Canada approved.
By Andrea Sepinwall |
Drones and privacy laws
With the rise of drones, questions grow around the data they collect
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, also commonly referred to as drones or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, is seeing rapid growth across various industries in Canada. Drones are increasingly being used in agriculture, construction, oil and gas, mining and other industries to monitor, inspect, explore and survey work sites, not to mention the most touted use of all, delivery of the ubiquitous Amazon packages to remote areas. At the same time, drones are also being used for corporate espionage and criminal applications, leaving companies unsure of how they can protect themselves, as outlined by in March 2025 by Global Guardian, a security solutions provider, in its corporate risk report called Unmanned Aerial Systems: How Drones Are Impacting Corporate Espionage.
The growth of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) brings additional focus on the aviation regulatory landscape and the crucial safety considerations informing the sharing of airspace, considerations that underlie the recent coming into force of amendments to the Canadian Aviation Regulations. This adds to the existing framework put in place by Transport Canada governing the use of UAVs, a framework that comes with the possibility of significant fines for violations. Aside from safety issues, operators of UAVs also need to be mindful of privacy and confidentiality concerns and ensure that they comply with Canada’s ever more robust and continuously evolving privacy law landscape.
This article provides (1) an overview of the privacy laws applicable to drones; and (2) tips for businesses on how they can protect themselves from corporate surveillance.
(1) Privacy Laws Governing UAVs
In Canada, privacy is a fundamental right protected by a comprehensive legal framework and understanding the privacy landscape is critical for businesses using drones. Canada’s main privacy legislation is the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and its provincial counterparts in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. These privacy laws govern handling of “personal information” by businesses and include provisions
Drones are being used for corporate espionage and criminal applications, leaving companies unsure of how they can protect themselves.
protecting photos and videos of identifiable individuals (including those taken by UAVs).
Under PIPEDA and its provincial equivalents, and as with all collectors of personal information, commercial UAV operators must obtain informed consent before collecting personal information and must ensure that such collection is appropriate in the circumstances. Drone operators would be wise to avoid collecting personal information when possible and, accordingly, should endeavour to limit the use of UAVs in densely populated areas and should use blurring technologies to obscure faces and license plates. Operators should also inform the public with clear and conspicuous signage of their presence and their purpose, so that individuals can avoid being recorded, along with providing contact details for questions. If a business must collect personal information, in addition to obtaining prior consent, it should only collect that personal information for which it has a legitimate business purpose.
Among other consequences, breaching privacy laws could lead to an investigation by a privacy regulator. An investigation may result in a public report of findings, a
fine or penalty, or an order to cease the practice or delete information.
What about recording in public?
It is a common misconception that recording people and activity in public spaces is permitted without consent. In fact, Canadian privacy laws do not permit businesses to collect, use or disclose public information without consent except when that information comes from a limited set of permitted sources. These permitted sources include items like phonebooks and business directories, but do not include outdoor public spaces. (See for example Regulations Specifying Publicly Available Information, SOR/2001-7.)
Other applicable privacy laws
Along with Canada’s privacy legislation, there are various statutory and common law torts and recourses for invasions of privacy that may apply to the inappropriate use of drones. (See British Columbia’s Privacy Act, RSBC 1996, c 373; Saskatchewan’s The Privacy Act, RSS 1978, c P-24; Manitoba’s The Privacy Act, CCSM c P125; and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Privacy Act, RSNL 1990, c P-22.) For instance, Ontario courts have long recognized a tort for “intrusion upon seclusion” which applies to the intentional (or reckless) invasion of another person’s privacy, if that invasion would be highly offensive to a reasonable person. (Lyndsay Wasser, Seclusion Intrusion: A Common Law Tort for Invasion of Privacy, McMillan LLP, January 2012.)
British Columbia’s Privacy Act goes even further by expressly including intrusion via surveillance (Privacy Act, RSBC 1996, c 373, s 1). Invasions of privacy may also lead to criminal prosecution where the invasion could be characterized as trespass, harassment, or voyeurism for instance. If the drone records audio, it could also result in a charge for interception of communications
if a recording picks up private conversations (Criminal Code, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-460.)
The unauthorized use of drones has violated your privacy – now what? Where a drone is being used to invade the personal privacy of individuals, there are various legal remedies available, ranging from private-sector privacy law to tort law in the common law jurisdictions and extracontractual remedies in Quebec, to criminal law. A person experiencing invasions of privacy from drones could file a complaint with law enforcement, bring a legal claim, or file a complaint with a privacy commissioner.
(2) Confidentiality and Business Information Protection
Unlike personal information, confidential business information does not benefit from the same degree of statutory protections, and just as users of drones must respect the confidential information of others, businesses who could be recorded by UAVs must also take steps to safeguard their sensitive information. Customary practices for protecting sensitive business information include (i) registration of intellectual property rights; (ii) robust physical and technological controls on access to information; and (iii) confidentiality agreements. Both businesses using drones and those liable to be recorded by drones should ensure that their staff are adequately and continuously trained to prevent, identify and respond to unauthorized drone activity and have in place up-to-date policies and procedures allowing them to quickly address, remove and report such activity.
Recourse for unlawful surveillance
Privacy concerns from the unauthorized collection of personal information by UAVs are likely to give rise to clear legal grounds for a claim. By contrast, legal remedies for unauthorized access to sensitive business information are limited and will depend largely on the facts and circumstances of each case. Property law, and specifically the concepts of trespass and nuisance, may offer the best remedy against intentional, unauthorized UAV intrusions into a business’ airspace (noting that the height and extent of what constitutes airspace rightfully belonging to a business remains unclear in Canadian jurisprudence). (Similar remedies exist under Articles 1457 and 976 of the Quebec Civil Code.)
If a UAV intrudes into a business’ airspace and interferes with the business’ operations, the business may also have grounds to seek an injunction or damages. As for potential criminal law remedies for
unauthorized drone use in a commercial context, this specific question remains unanswered, and, depending on the facts at hand, recourse to more traditional criminal law concepts may be available, such as corporate espionage, trade secrets and criminal fraud.
Given the limited legal avenues for recourse and the potential for significant fines if found in violation of the law, both operators of UAVs and their potential victims should proactively protect their sensitive commercial information and ensure that their use of UAVs is conducted
in accordance with explicit guidelines and accompanied by the necessary training to ensure compliance with the law.
A cautionary note
The foregoing does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making decisions based on this material alone. | W
Robbie Grant and Harriet Crossfield of McMillan LLP also contributed to the production of this article. Andrea Sepinwall is a partner, specializing in Business Law, at McMillan LLP.
ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT ECONOMICS
FLIGHT SCHOOLS AND AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS EVALUATE THE NEW PROPULSION PARADIGM
BY PHIL LIGHTSTONE
The automotive industry has invested significant funds into research and development in the electric vehicle space. With more than 35,000 charging stations installed in North America, Tesla has shown the automotive industry and EV owners that the chicken versus egg paradigm does not have to hold true (there are
more than 300,000 charging stations in North America).
Pipistrel (part of Textron eAviation) and Diamond Aircraft both have electric aircraft tailored to general aviation and Flight Training Units. Pipistrel’s first electric aircraft was the Alpha Electro which has been discontinued and replaced with the Velis Electro. The Velis Electro has been certified
in Europe by EASA and Textron is awaiting final certification by the FAA and Transport Canada (TC). The FAA granted the Pipistrel Velis Electro an airworthiness exemption in March 2024, allowing it to be flown as a light-sport aircraft (LSA) in the U.S.
This exemption paved the way for U.S.based flight schools to use the electric aircraft in their training programs. In 2024, TC issued a Special Certificate of Approval (SCofA), with many conditions attached. However, on May 31, 2024, TC issued an “Order Respecting the Use of Pipistrel SW 121 and SW 128 for flight training exempting the Sealand Flight Ltd. from section 406.32(a) of the Canadian Aviation Regulations”. Justin Labelle, Chief Operating Officer of the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre, reports: “In September 2025, WWFC received a CofR for the purpose of commercial operations for one of the Pipistrel Velis Electro, allowing the WWFC to begin revenue generating flights with the aircraft. Over the next few years, we will be gathering real-world data on the true utilization and costs of these electric aircraft.”
On the surface, the economics of electric aircraft sounds compelling as does electric car economics. My electric car uses approximately $420 worth of electricity for 13,500 miles driven, as well as avoiding other costs including oil changes and brake wear-tear. The cost of electricity to fully charge the Electro Velis is approximately US$3.00 (costs will vary based upon your geography) and takes one and half hours (depending upon a variety factors). The fuel component of a one-hour flight in a Cessna 172, would equate to US$52.00 (based upon an U.S. national average of US$6.50 for 100LL).
AVGas fuel, however, can be as high as US$8.60 per gallon, depending upon the specifics of your airport.
Cost of electricity is just one component of the Total Cost of Flight Time (TCFT). In the case of the Pipistrel EVs both EASA and Transport Canada provide guidance on routine maintenance. In Canada, in leu of a wealth of aircraft operational data, TC has taken a very conservative approach to maintenance. The problem with the Canadian environment is that it is a bit of chicken versus the egg scenario. TC requires more flight data before it will relax its maintenance intervals and are relying on maintenance recommendations from Pipistrel.
For Canadian flight schools with the Pipistrel Velis Electro, TC’s Special CofA mandates the following: batteries replaced every 500 hours (a battery pack is comprised of two battery modules); electric engine replaced at 2,000 hours; engine cooling system pump replaced every 2,000
A look at Pipistrel’s current generation batteries (Generation 2), which the company feels should be able to achieve more than 1,000 hours of usage.
PHOTO: PHIL LIGHTSTONE
hours or five years (whichever comes first); propeller and propeller attachments replaced every 900 hours; charging port assembly replaced every 500 hours; battery cooling pumps and coolant (two) replaced every 2,000 hours or five years (WECF); engine coolant pump replaced every 2,000 hours or five years (WECF); brake rubber seals replaced every 3,000 hours or five years (WECF); hydraulic brake fluid replaced every five years; nose landing gear shock absorber replaced every 2,000 hours; parking brake valve lever replaced every five years; rubber coolant hoses replaced every five years; electrical junction box replaced every 6,000 hours; and the Velis Electro has a 10-year life limitation. The Total Cost of Flight Hour (excluding an instructor) could be as high as $326 per hour. Flight schools would then add margin to this cost.
Pipistrel feels that its current generation batteries (Generation
2) should be able to achieve more than 1,000 hours of usage. Some of the flight schools interviewed for this article, however, are reporting significantly less than 500 hours. The current cost for a battery pack is EURO25,000 (US$29,050) plus shipping and applicable taxes (again, the battery pack is comprised of two battery modules). With the excessive costs of batteries, maximizing battery cycles and longevity is critical to TCFT. New Vision Aviation, a flight school in Fresno, California, acquired four Pipistrel’s second-generation electric aircraft, the Alpha Electro. The aircraft sat for two years awaiting FAA approval, which was received in 2024. With the FAA type certification in hand, New Vision Aviation found that the batteries needed to be replaced due to inactivity. While the aircraft was outside of Pipistrel’s two-year warranty, Pipistrel provided the batteries to them without cost, other than shipping.
As the batteries are classified as hazardous materials and the flight school could not wait two months for the batteries to be shipped by sea in a container, the shipping costs incurred were US$15,000. New Vision Aviation found, that in California, the daytime temperatures caused the chargers to exceed their operational temperature requirements. A one-hour charge took overnight to be accomplished. Pipistrel has since changed the design of its chargers. At temperatures above 40C, the batteries could be damaged through either sitting in the hangar or charging. Unlike electric cars, the Alpha Electro battery is air cooled with no liquid cooling system to automatically turn on (when the aircraft is not in flight) to protect the batteries.
E-Flight Academy of the Netherlands has a fleet of Pipistrel Velis Electro, with five aircraft completing more than 4,000 hours in the last four years. Its oldest Velis Electro has roughly 1,300 hours. Evert-Jan Feld, co-founder and head of training at E-Flight Academy, reports that Pipistrel’s second-generation batteries are seeing roughly 230 hours before the “state of health” drops to below 50 per cent (a point where there is not sufficient flight time for a student pilot and instructor to complete a training flight). Pipistrel claims that the second-generation batteries should see more than 1,000 hours of usage before replacement.
E-Flight Academy found that the first-generation batteries were delivering 250 hours before they required replacement. The Pipistrel aircraft systems are constantly monitoring and recording data, used to calculate a number representing the batteries’ state of heath. This parameter is used to determine when the battery pack should be replaced. E-Flight Academy replaced its batteries under Pipistrel’s battery exchange program. The cost to E-Flight Academy was EURO28,000 (US$32,500), including shipping but excluding labour and taxes. Everet-Jan Feld has calculated that the battery deprecation adds EURO52 (US$60) per hour. E-Flight Academy has also found that the cost of maintenance,
Dr. Paul Parker, a licensed pilot, who ran the electric aircraft project from the Waterloo University’s Institute of Sustainable Aeronautics.
In September 2025, WWFC received a CofR for the purpose of commercial operations for one of the Pipistrel Velis Electro aircraft in Canada.
PHOTO: PHIL
plus the usual operating costs (insurance, hangarage, etc.), makes the business case for the use of the Pipistrel electric aircraft marginal.
Based upon the maintenance requirements set out by TC, and including other operating costs, such as insurance, training, cost of capital (the aircraft is fully written off in 10 years), the TCFT per hourly jumps from $3 for electricity to $317 (US$229) per hour. These same flight schools rent out their Cessna 172s at $230 per hour. In the case of E-Flight Academy, it rents the Velis Electro at EURO160 (US$184) for 40 minutes, with a margin of roughly five per cent. While they would like to charge more per hour for the rental, the market competition is holding them at this rate. Sadly, the founders of the flight school have yet to draw a salary. To make ends meet, Feld has another job (he is a commercial flight instructor and helicopter pilot).
“While we were early adopters of electric aircraft in a flight training unit, we did receive a government subsidy to pay for the charging environment, solar panels and battery storage farm,” Feld says. “But there were no subsidies for the acquisition and operating costs of the electric aircraft. From an economic and business perspective, the current costs are not sustainable.”
Its next challenge in determining longterm profitability is the cost of parts. Pipistrel has been providing quotes when new replacement parts are required, but will not provide the owners with the costs of components, such as the engines, pumps and other major components. This makes it challenging for a flight school operator to create a realistic economic model. Pipistrel has published a spreadsheet with operating costs and maintenance hours. There is very little detail in terms of the cost of individual components and the hours do not reflect real-world experience.
The economic challenge is the lack of data for the manufactures and regulators to determine when the electric engine system should be replaced or overhauled. Further, battery packs (which consist of many battery modules made from many battery cells) are being replaced rather than repaired. A few faulty battery cells can cause an entire battery pack to fall below the minimum capacity required for the aircraft.
Pipistrel reports: “Battery maintenance has also seen significant improvements. Initially, battery maintenance required swapping out aged batteries for brand-new ones. Regulations are evolving, however, and, outside of the EU, Pipistrel is already
offering overhaul services where only the battery cells are refurbished. The battery management system, cooling and battery enclosure remain unchanged, significantly reducing the battery’s impact on operating costs.” The cost of the battery packs and shipping increase the TCFT. Operational issues with the airframes (45-minute flight time, useful load and environmental issues) causes the annual flight time for a flight school to be reduced. Most of the flight schools interviewed were projecting annual flight times of 250 hours. Many of the aircraft’s parts have a five-year replacement interval (or 1,250 hours), which causes the cost per hour to be increased.
Electric cars have matured over the past decade, but battery technology innovation has yet to deliver commercially available battery cells which increase the power-toweight ratio, reduce the charging times, and increase the number of charging cycles. Like most things in our technology driven society, however, only time and R&D investments will be required to deliver a new battery paradigm. Once the regulators have more data in hand, maintenance intervals should be relaxed, improving the Total Cost of Flight Time, which, as 100LL faces more headwinds, will be priceless. | W
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Diamond DA50 Canadian certification
By Phil Lightstone
On October 22, 2025, Diamond Aircraft’s DA50 RG received Transport Canada type certification. This coincided with a demonstration tour through Western Canada orchestrated by Diamond Aircraft and Aviation Unlimited. The tour stopped in Calgary-Spring Bank (CYBW) and Edmonton-Cooking Lake (CEZ3) with a final stop at Regina Flying Club (CYQR) before returning to Diamond’s factory in London, Ont. (CYXU). To date, Diamond has delivered 100 DA50 RGs worldwide. The DA50 RG is manufactured in Weiner Neustadt, Austria, and at the Canadian Diamond Aircraft Industries facility in London.
Founded in 1981, Diamond Aircraft has facilities in Austria, Canada and China and has delivered more than 5,500 aircraft. It has more than 1,500 employees worldwide and offers a complete range of certified piston aircraft models, from the two-seat single DA20 to the seven-seat DA62.
In Canada, Aviation Unlimited represents Diamond Aircraft. Founded in 1983 by Solly Capua, with Isaac Capua now in the left seat, Aviation Unlimited represents several aerospace brands delivering new aircraft, providing maintenance services and operating an aircraft brokerage. Aviation Unlimited
Maintenance is a Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) specializing in corporate aircraft maintenance and repair services for piston, turboprop and jet aircraft. Its maintenance site is based at Oshawa Executive Airport (CYOO) in a state-of-the-art facility leveraged by a core group of Approved Maintenance Engineers with more than 80 years of combined experience. Aviation Unlimited is vertically integrated with M1/M2 Aircraft Maintenance Engineers as well as Transport Canada Minister’s Delegate Capability.
“Aviation Unlimited is excited about the long-awaited certification of the DA50,” says Ryan Pap, General Manager, Aviation Unlimited. “It complements our business philosophy to be our customer’s strategic aviation partner, guiding them through their journey from simple single-engine aircraft to complex, high-performance and multi-engine aircraft. The DA50 bridges this evolutionary gap by providing the intricacies of a complex aircraft with unparalleled safety and payload capabilities to take our customer’s family and friends anywhere.”
The DA50 RG began its life on the drawing board in the early-2000s with the first production aircraft delivered in 2020. With more than 100 engineers at the factory, Diamond
designed an aircraft beyond an impressive specifications sheet. The clean-sheet design delivers an aircraft of pure ramp appeal combined with a tall tail, long wings and cowl for strong flight performance. Some pilots report the aircraft “feels like a luxury SUV, but with trailing landing gear and a castering nose gear, delivers silky smooth landings”.
The aircraft, which looks fast sitting on the ramp, sports: Five seats, two-row seating, retractable landing gear, control sticks, Garmin G1000NXi, Garmin GFC700 3-axis autopilot and yaw damper, hinged double slotted flaps, high fuel efficiency, superb performance in all phases of flight, TKS flight into known ice protection (FIKI), and a luxurious interior. Key statistics include: Eight gph fuel consumption; 181 KTAS maximum speed; 58 CAS stall speed in landing configuration; 20,000 feet maximum altitude; 1,210 pounds useful load; and 49 US Gal useable fuel capacity.
The DA50 RG is powered by a Continental CD-300 turbocharged diesel engine (300 hp) operating on Jet-A1 fuel, future proofing against an era where 100LL (Avgas) becomes costly and challenging to find. The CD-300 is a geared, liquid-cooled, turbocharged and Jet-A1-fuelled engine controlled by two redundant full FADEC controllers. Pilot workload is reduced using a single lever power
Aviation Unlimited support adds to aircraft performance
Beyond pure ramp appeal, the DA50 RG is powered by a Continental CD-300 turbocharged diesel engine operating on Jet-A1 fuel.
control that adjusts thrust and propeller RPMs automatically. The three blade MT hydraulic variable pitch propeller features advanced blade geometry with state-of-theart aerodynamic airfoils for efficient performance, smoothness and low noise. The blades are built with a natural composite design, which leads to an exceptional vibration damping behaviour and reduced weight. In fact, the DA50 RG is the first Diamond aircraft with a heated propeller. With cowl flaps, the pilot can manage engine temperatures while protecting the investment into the engine. The extra benefits of operating a jet-fuel-powered aircraft are: low emissions; low fuel consumption; lower fuel costs; and global availability.
“Continental’s CD-300 engine and valuable partnership with Diamond on the DA50 RG reinforces the global demand for jetfuelled piston aircraft in general aviation,” explains Robert Stoppek, President and CEO of Continental Aerospace Technologies.
The fully integrated Garmin G1000NXi flight deck of the DA50 RG comes standard with a 3-axis GFC700 Automated Flight Control system with Electronic Stability and Protection. The flight deck has a long list of features like Traffic Alerting, Synthetic Vision and ADS-B In and Out, to name a few.
Maintenance and troubleshooting are simplified with Garmin’s Line Replaceable Units located in an externally accessible forward avionics bay.
Programming flight plans and approaches are simplified using Garmin’s GCU 465 alphanumeric keypad (optional). A Garmin GTX345DR ADS-B IN/OUT transponder provides antenna diversity, with antennas installed on the top and bottom of the fuselage. The GTX345 delivers full compliance to
both Canada’s and the U.S.’s ADS-B OUT mandates. Safety is enhanced with dual redundant alternators, ensuring that an alternator failure will not impact this high-tech aircraft. Diamond offers 24 options to the aircraft, including: Garmin GDL69A Sirius XM receiver (subscription); Garmin GSR 56 Iridium Satellite Datalink (subscription); air conditioning; TKS de-icing system; built-in oxygen; premium exterior paint; and custom exterior paint.
The DA50 RG is an exceptionally comfortable aircraft, with a fuselage cross section right from the Diamond DA62 twin-engine aircraft. The cabin is extra wide with generous front seats including adjustable backrests, a 60/40 split folding three seat second row bench and easy access through the large gull wing doors. The extra wide cabin has the following dimensions: width is four feet and 2.8 inches; and height, from seat tops to cabin ceiling, is three feet and 2.6 inches.
The baggage compartment is three feet 7.3 inches wide, two feet 11.4 inches wide and three feet 3.4 inches to two feet 5.5 inches high. The cabin is significantly wider than its closest fixed-gear, high-performance, piston, single-engine competitor. The DA50 RG has three large gull-wing doors, including a door for rear passengers, making entry and exit easy for everyone. The 60/40 rear seats allow the rear seats to be folded down, expanding the luggage compartment for transporting longer items like skis, golf clubs, camping equipment and folding bicycles.
The DA50 RG is covered by Diamond Aircraft’s two-year or 1,800-hour (whichever comes first) spinner-to-tail-cone warranty. Service parts are maintained in the London (CYXU) factory. Both in-warranty and out-ofwarranty service is provided by Aviation
Unlimited (CYOO). Diamond has four Diamond approved service centres in Canada and 27 in the US. Continental Aerospace Technologies has a large network of JET-A Authorized service centres in North America, handling any engine related work.
Aviation Unlimited’s Ryan Pap recently flew the DA50 RG back to Oshawa from their Western Canada trip. Pap is a CPL with a Group 1 Instrument rating. “I could honestly say that the aircraft is so comfortable that after 7.5 hours in the aircraft I did not feel remotely as fatigued as I do flying my Cherokee for the equivalent time,” he says. On the return flight, Pap saw incredible performance from the aircraft, at 9,000 feet, 173 KTAS, OAT of -1C and a ground speed of 172 KT, all while burning 13.5 gal per hour.
Pap flies a Cherokee 180C, which anecdotally delivers 111 KTAS, at 9,000 feet while burning 8.5 gal per hour of 100LL. In this flight example the total cost of JetA was approximately $733, while the cost of 100LL is estimated at $1,059 in the Cherokee. Extrapolating the performance and time over the life of the aircraft, for the same total nautical miles flown, the savings could be as much as 50 per cent of a Cherokee. While the DA50 RG would normally have been flown at 19,000 feet, there was a significant tailwind at 9,000 feet, trading off improved ground speed for a greater fuel burn.
With a base price of US$1,225,280 (plus taxes, training costs and ferry costs), Diamond fixes the acquisition price at the time of contract signing (certain circumstances may impact the final acquisition price). Aircraft delivered from Canada are tariff exempt under the current USMCA Agreement and the Canadian government recently moved to eliminate the luxury tax applied to new aircraft purchases. As of September 2025, any Austrian (European produced) aircraft are no longer subject to tariffs.
The pairing of Diamond Aircraft and Aviation Unlimited sales, service and support capabilities, provides flight training units, air taxi operators, owners and pilots with a platform designed to disrupt the aviation industry (in a good way). Aviation Unlimited takes a consultative approach focusing on an owner’s long-term needs. This long-term acquisition strategy provides a road map aligning to the owner/pilot’s travel needs, social, financial and pilot skills. The number of non-pilot owners are on the upswing, as the public sees the benefits of owning a private aircraft. With the uncertainty of political, environmental and global events, aircraft ownership provides flexibility allowing owner/pilots to utilize a Diamond DA50 RG in support of their business and social needs while reducing the total cost of flight hour.
The DA50 RG’s Garmin G1000NXi flight deck comes standard with a 3-axis GFC700 Automated Flight Control system.
American Airlines helped to initiate U.S.-Canada pre-clearance back in 1952.
TRANSBORDER AIR TRAVEL
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CANADA’S BORDER PRE-CLEARANCE PROGRAM WITH THE UNITED STATES
BY EMILY GILBERT
At a testy meeting in Banff in late September, the American ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, mused about the future of pre-clearance in Canada. Crossborder travel numbers are down, he complained, which makes the cost of the program less appealing to Americans. Hoekstra’s comments came across as a threat – almost a demand that Canadians resume travelling to the United States. But should Canadians continue to stay away? Maybe it’s time to rethink Canada’s pre-clearance program with the U.S. and the ways it can undermine Canadian civil rights and sovereignty.
Started informally, then expanded
The origins of U.S. customs pre-clearance in Canada date back to 1952. It began as an informal arrangement made at the request of American Airlines, which was interested in building up its business
in Canada. Since then, the program has expanded to nine Canadian international airports and the Alaska Marine Highway System Ferry Terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C. The U.S. has also expanded its pre-clearance facilities to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.
Under the Canada-U.S. pre-clearance arrangement, American border agents are located in Canada so that travellers can clear customs, immigration, public health and safety and agriculture inspection before they travel. This provides an additional layer of security for the U.S. since it can screen travellers much earlier in their travel journeys and stop suspicious travellers before they board their flights.
For Canadian travellers, it makes crossing the border faster. By clearing customs in Canada, they don’t need to wait in long lines when they arrive in the U.S. This makes it much easier to catch
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connecting flights and also means airlines can fly into smaller American airports from Canada, which can be cheaper and more convenient.
Police powers
Pre-clearance in Canada has become so commonplace that it’s not faced significant scrutiny, even though recent legislation raises pressing concerns.
In 2015, the U.S. and Canada signed a new treaty on land, rail, marine and air transport pre-clearance. This legislation opened the door to expanded pre-clearance with new facilities at Québec City’s airport and Billy Bishop airport on the Toronto islands, scheduled to open soon. Pilot projects have also been introduced at train stations and ports, which raise their own issues because they’re often located in city centres.
Subsequently, Canada passed its new Preclearance Act that entered into force in 2019. The legislation updated the terms for pre-clearance but also introduced worrisome and expansive new police powers for U.S. officers on Canadian soil.
American border agents now have the power to conduct strip searches if a Canadian officer is not available or is unwilling to participate. American border agents also
have the authority to carry weapons.
Under the previous legislation of 1999, U.S. border agents were authorized to use “as much force is necessary to perform their pre-clearance duties” if they did so “on reasonable grounds.” But under the recent legislation, U.S. officers are “justified in doing what they are required or authorized to do under this Act and in using as much force as is necessary for that purpose.” In other words, the use of force is now legitimized.
Furthermore, while it was previously possible for travellers to remove themselves from inspection without prejudice, under the 2017 legislation, their withdrawal from the border process could be interpreted as grounds for suspicion.
The act of withdrawal itself becomes suspect, with refusal to answer taken as obstruction, which is a criminal offence in both the U.S. and Canada. This can impede someone’s ability to enter the United States at a later date.
If someone is suspected of committing an offence, U.S. border agents are also able to detain them as long it does not “unreasonably delay the traveller’s withdrawal” from the process. There is no time limit placed on what is meant by “unreasonably delay.”
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Shifted travel demand
Domestic flights soar year over year, transborder slow
The number of Canadians returning from the U.S. by car and plane combined fell by roughly a third in September compared with the same month last year, according to data released in November by Statistics Canada. It marked the ninth straight month of yearover-year declines for return trips by car eight straight months for air; largely driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s introduction of higher tariffs on Canada and openly called for its annexation. Today, the low Canadian dollar and high level of immigration enforcement in the U.S. also dampen transborder travel.
In September 2025, 2.5 million passengers in Canada were screened for domestic flights, a higher number (+10.2 per cent) than for the same month in 2024 and exceeding (+11.6 per cent) the pre-pandemic total posted in September 2019. Toronto Pearson drove the increase, posting the highest year-over-year change in domestic traffic (+15.2 per cent) in September 2025. Other international traffic (outside the United States) reached 1.4 million in September, up 6.9 per cent over September 2024 and significantly higher (+13.2 per cent) than the level posted in September 2019.
In contrast, the total of 1.2 million transborder passengers (to the U.S.) in September 2025 was 10.5 per cent lower than the same month in 2024. September 2025 transborder passenger counts were 5.4 per cent below September 2019.
Canada’s eight largest airports posted year-over-year increases in screened passenger counts for both domestic and international travel (outside the U.S.) in September 2025. In contrast, transborder passenger traffic (to the U.S.) was lower at all eight airports year over year. In September, seven of Canada’s eight largest airports posted higher total volumes of passenger traffic, year over year, with only Montréal Trudeau posting a decline (-2.7 per cent). Moreover, seven of the eight airports exceeded their pre-pandemic screened passenger volumes, with only Ottawa/MacdonaldCartier International reporting a decrease (-9.1 per cent compared with September 2019). | W
Worrisome legislative changes
When the new Preclearance Act was introduced, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to assuage concerns by explaining that pre-clearance allowed more protections for travellers because the Canadian Constitution would apply in Canada.
The act itself states: “The exercise of any power and performance of any duty or function under United States law in Canada is subject to Canadian law, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Bill of Rights and the Canadian Human Rights Act.”
But can these protections really be assured when there are overlapping jurisdictions at play?
Take U.S. President Donald Trump’s most recent 2025 travel ban that fully bans nationals of 12 countries and partially bans nationals of seven others.
As Amnesty International argues, Trump’s bans are “targeting people based on their race, religion, or nationality, from countries with predominantly Black, Brown and Muslim-majority populations.” Yet these bans are being enforced in Canada via these pre-clearance areas, meaning the rights and protections against discrimination set out in Canadian laws are not being upheld.
Under the terms of the 2015 treaty, pre-clearance officers also receive immunity for civil and administrative offences in their host countries. Furthermore, the U.S. passed legislation a year later stipulating the U.S. has jurisdiction over offences committed by American personnel stationed in Canada.
As Canada’s privacy officer has stated, this lack of accountability in Canada means there is little recourse for someone in Canada who experiences an incident with American border officers when going through pre-clearance. If there is no accountability, then Canadian laws are essentially meaningless.
For these reasons, a Canadian reassessment of the pre-clearance program is all the more pressing since efforts are already underway to implement Canadian preclearance at land borders with the U.S.
In January 2025, before Trump’s inauguration, a two-year pilot project was announced at the Cannon Corners facility on the New York-Québec border. This would be somewhat different from the police powers granted to American border officials at Canadian airports, but Canada’s objec tives have been similar to U.S. security directives – make admissibility determinations before someone enters Canada.
In other words, Canada is proceeding with border pre-clearance initiatives that make it more difficult for people to make asylum claims when crossing the CanadaUnited States border, among a range of complex and powerful issues.
Hoekstra has put the future of pre-clearance in question. This provides an excellent opportunity to reconsider whether the costs of the program outweigh the benefits in today’s political climate. That’s because no matter how convenient and efficient pre-clearance programs might be, they raise challenging questions about Canadian sovereignty and the rights of Canadian citizens.
T he question should really be whether Canada wants to pursue America-style border politics rather than trying to build more humane border policies and practices. | W
This article was originally published by The Conversation. Emily Gilbert is a Professor in the Canadian Studies Program at University College with a graduate appointment in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. Her current research deals with questions relating to citizenship, mobility, borders, security, and militaries.
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MRO supporting the aviation needs of business class aircraft. Services include airframe inspections, engine maintenance and overhauls, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit systems, full paint and interior services, engineering and certifications, engine and avionics AOG service, and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and parts.
Duncan Aviation is a full-service business aircraft
MRO supporting the aviation needs of business class aircraft. Services include airframe inspections, engine maintenance and overhauls, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit systems, full paint and interior services, engineering and certifications, engine and avionics AOG service, and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and parts.
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IMP Aerospace & Defence is one of Canada’s largest military In-Service Support organizations, delivering comprehensive solutions across the Sea, Air, Land, and Space domains. We specialize in fleet management, MRO, missionization, and engineering services, with extensive capabilities in avionics repair, calibration, wire harness manufacturing, and structural components. As a Lockheed Martin Authorized C-130J Heavy Maintenance Center, we support a wide range of platforms including the CH149 Cormorant. Our Design Approval Organization status enables us to lead complex modifications for special mission aircraft. With ISO-certified facilities and integrated logistics support, we provide reliable, cost-effective services to military, government, and commercial operators worldwide.
ONTARIO
CHARTRIGHT AIR GROUP
2450 Derry Road East, Hangar 3
Mississauga ON L5S 1B2
Tel: 905-671-4674
Toll Free: 800-595-9395
Website: www.chartright.com
Email: mro@chartright.com
Personnel: Constantine Tsokas, Senior Vice President
Chartright is a Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO #196-92) with an approved FAA Supplement. As a leading maintenance provider to business jets in Canada, Chartright has maintenance facilities in Toronto and Kitchener and are capable of performing maintenance on a wide array of fixed and rotary wing aircraft offering a full array of services from line maintenance servicing to heavy inspections, avionics, and structures. Chartright also maintains the largest fleet of Bombardier aircraft in Canada capable of handling any of your heavy maintenance requirements. Whether it’s a 96-month inspection on your Challenger, or a 120-month inspection on your Global, contact us to discuss your maintenance requirements and benefit from the value that Chartright delivers to its customers. Looking for a new aircraft? Chartright can provide in-depth expert analysis, records review, and pre-purchase inspections to ensure you are making an informed purchase.
D.W. Electrochemicals Ltd manufactures Stabilant 22 Electronic Contact Enhancer products. Stabilant 22 is used to ensure the conductivity, reliability and performance of electronic contacts and connectors. Stabilant 22 is an easy to use, cost effective, active resident treatment when assembling or servicing aircraft equipment.
EntAir Inc. (Enterprise) is a full service, Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization with newly expanded maintenance and avionics facilities in Oshawa (CYOO). Approved to certify work on commercially operated Beech King Air, Falcon 10/100, 20/200 & 900, Pilatus, Piaggio P-180 Avanti, Douglas DC 3, Phenom 300, DHC-6 Twin Otter, Dash 8, Cessna single turbo propeller and small piston airplanes. Capable of performing specialized and non-specialized work, including welding. Extensive parts resources and supplies. Equipped for aircraft salvage and insurance repairs.
For over 60 years, EXECAIRE AVIATION has been serving customers a comprehensive range of MRO services for a variety of aircraft models including Bombardier Challenger & Global platforms as well as the Cessna Citation family of jets. We are your Citation Jet Experts!
Levaero Aviation delivers a full complement of turnkey and mission-specific solutions to the aviation marketplace and is the exclusive Authorized Pilatus Aircraft Sales & Service Centre for Canada. Levaero Aviation is an accredited dealer member of the International Aircraft Dealer Association (IADA), the global standard of aircraft brokerages. Headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with a National Sales office based in Toronto, Ontario, Levaero provides its customers with leading aircraft brokerage expertise and extensive MRO capabilities.
ONTARIO
SKYSERVICE BUSINESS AVIATION INC.
1004 Airport Road
Gravenhurst ON P1P 1R1
Tel: 888-759-7591
Website: www.skyservice.com
Email: maintenancesales@skyservice.com
Personnel: Paul Weeks, Vp Of Maintenance
Patrick Canuel, Director Business Development Maintenance
Glenn Williams, Director Business Development Maintenance
Pedro Carvalho, Director Business Development Maintenance
SKYSERVICE BUSINESS AVIATION INC.
6120 Midfield Road
Mississauga ON L4W 2P7
Tel: 905-678-5682
Toll Free: 888-759-7591
Website: www.skyservice.com
Email: maintenancesales@skyservice.com
Personnel: Paul Weeks, Vp Of Maintenance
Patrick Canuel, Director, Business Development, Maintenance
Glenn Williams, Director, Business Development, Maintenance
Pedro Carvalho, Director, Business Development, Maintenance
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Skyservice is Canada’s leading facility for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for business and commercial aircraft. For over 37 years, we have been providing Airframe Maintenance, AOG support, Non-Destructive testing (NDT), Avionics, Pre-Purchase Inspections, Interior Refurbishment, Exterior Paint, Aircraft Parts and Repair and more, to both Canadian and International clients. As Authorized Service Facility for Bombardier, Authorized Warranty Facility for Gulfstream, Authorized Service Center for Falcon/Dassault and HondaJet as well as an approved aircraft maintenance organization by TCCA, FAA, BDCA, HKCAD, 2-REG, Aruba, CAAS and EASA, we understand aircraft. Our certified and trained technicians set-us apart and guarantees quality, thoroughness, and service excellence. Choose Skyservice for your next MRO decision.
Skyservice is Canada’s leading facility for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for business and commercial aircraft. For over 37 years, we have been providing Airframe Maintenance, AOG support, Non-Destructive testing (NDT), Avionics, Pre-Purchase Inspections, Interior Refurbishment, Exterior Paint, Aircraft Parts and Repair and more, to both Canadian and International clients. As Authorized Service Facility for Bombardier, Authorized Warranty Facility for Gulfstream, Authorized Service Center for Falcon/Dassault and HondaJet as well as an approved aircraft maintenance organization by TCCA, FAA, BDCA, HKCAD, 2-REG, Aruba, CAAS and EASA, we understand aircraft. Our certified and trained technicians set-us apart and guarantees quality, thoroughness, and service excellence. Choose Skyservice for your next MRO decision.
TULMAR SAFETY SYSTEMS
1123 Cameron Street
Hawkesbury ON K6A 2B8
Tel: 613-632-1282
Website: www.tulmar.com
Email: mro@tulmar.com
Personnel: Patrick Phillips - Vice-president Of Business Development
Sustain+ : MRO with Purpose
Every year, Tulmar avoids 359 tonnes of CO2 emissions associated with replacements and diverts 52 tonnes of waste from landfills-the equivalent of powering our 60,000 sq. ft. facility for 10 years.
For over 30 years, Tulmar has been a trusted partner in safety and survivability, delivering world-class MRO services with proven reliability and performance.
Our expertise spans inspection, testing, re-packing, recertification, and full lifecycle support, keeping your critical safety equipment safe, compliant, and missionready. We provide 24/7 Aircraft on Ground (AOG) support for life vests, life rafts, restraint systems, emergency locator transmitters, CO2 cylinder refills, desalination pumps, hydrostatic testing, RFID systems, and complete sustainment programs.
Accredited by EAM, SAFRAN, Switlik, AMSAFE, Winslow Liferaft Company, and Collins Aerospace, Tulmar goes beyond repairs, delivering unmatched reliability, performance, and sustainability.
Patrick Canuel, Director Business Development, Maintenance
Glenn Williams, Director Business Development, Maintenance
Pedro Carvalho, Director Business Development, Maintenance
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For over 60 years,
EXECAIRE AVIATION has been serving customers a comprehensive range of MRO services for a variety of aircraft models including Bombardier Challenger & Global platforms as well as the Cessna Citation family of jets.
- OEM production support & in-production and aftermarket activities
- State-of-the-art paint shop
- STC approved for KU/KA system installations on Bombardier Global aircraft
- FANS, ADS-B/C, CPDLC, Connectivity, IFE, C
Founded in 2012, M1 has quickly become a leader in engineering, manufacturing and repair for the commercial and military aviation industry. M1 Composites Technology is a TCCA (AMO23-12 and DAO 14-Q-01), with FAA, and EASA approved 145 repair station and design approval organization (DER Repairs) specializing in advanced composites and sheet metal structures. M1 finds solutions rapidly to ensure legacy and new weapon systems are mission ready. This is accomplished by providing specialty products and services to the commercial and defense aerospace sectors including new & reverse engineering, certification (STCs & PMA parts), manufacturing, repair, welding, and NDT/NDI. We are a leader in repair and overhaul of nacelles, flight control surfaces, radomes, LG doors, interiors, fairings, cargo nets, and much more. In addition, we are an Airbus and Boeing (Gold/Blue) approved supplier that is ISO9001/AS9100/AS9110, NADCAP, certified military clearances.
Skyservice is Canada’s leading facility for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for business and commercial aircraft. For over 37 years, we have been providing Airframe Maintenance, AOG support, Non-Destructive testing (NDT), Avionics, Pre-Purchase Inspections, Interior Refurbishment, Exterior Paint, Aircraft Parts and Repair and more, to both Canadian and International clients. As Authorized Service Facility for Bombardier, Authorized Warranty Facility for Gulfstream, Authorized Service Center for Falcon/Dassault, HondaJet, Ge Aviation CF-34 engine series, Roll Royce BR-710 series as well as an approved aircraft maintenance organization by TCCA, FAA, BDCA, HKCAD, 2-REG, Aruba, CAAS and EASA, we understand aircraft. Our certified and trained technicians set-us apart and guarantees quality, thoroughness, and service excellence. Choose Skyservice for your next MRO decision.
UTAH
DUNCAN AVIATION
262 South 3800 West
Provo UT 84601
Tel: 801-342-5600
Fax: 801-342-5506
Website: DuncanAviation.aero
Email: webmaster@duncanaviation.com
ARIZONA
STANDARDAERO
6710 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 250 Scottsdale AZ 85253
Tel: 480-377-3100
Website: www.standardaero.com
Email: helicopters@standardaero.com
Personnel: Mike Clarke - Sr. Director Of Sales
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Founded in 1911, StandardAero has become one of the world aerospace industry’s largest independent maintenance, repair and, overhaul (MRO) providers. Our company’s success is the outgrowth of the synergistic merger of businesses with complementary specialties that have exponentially increased our capabilities and generated unprecedented customer commitment and value.
StandardAero offers extensive MRO services and custom solutions for business aviation, commercial aviation, military, and industrial power customers. Nearly 6,600 professional, administrative and technical employees work in 55+ major facilities worldwide, with additional strategically located regional service and support centers as well as mobile service teams all across the globe.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
SELECT HELICOPTER SERVICES LTD.
200 - 6220 Lapointe Drive
Kelowna BC V1V 2S2
Tel: 250-765-3317
Website: selecthelicopter.com
Email: info@selecthelicopter.com
Personnel: Marty Luksts - Director Dell Luksts - Person Responsible For Maintenance (prm)
Dana Washington - Sales/general Manager
Scott Provenzano - Production Manager
Lauren Wintle - Qa Manager/sms Manager
Marlise Brookman - Stores & Purchasing
Specialist
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Your mission is our priority. At Select, we repair and overhaul hydraulic components and cargo hooks with expert craftsmanship, integrity, and responsive service so you can get back in the air with confidence.
We support Bell, Airbus, and Sikorsky fleets worldwide with instantly-recognizable craftsmanship built into every component we touch:
Onboard Systems International, Dart Aerospace, Mechanical Specialties, Drallim Aerospace (Cargo Aids), Breeze-Eastern, Bell Helicopter
Select combines two decades of technical expertise, with the personalized service of a local business. We are committed to responsive service that builds lasting relationships.
Customized care. Direct shop-to-shop connection. Every time.
ONTARIO
CHARTRIGHT AIR GROUP
2450 Derry Road East, Hangar 3 Mississauga ON L5S 1B2
Tel: 905-671-4674
Toll Free: 800-595-9395
Website: www.chartright.com
Email: mro@chartright.com
Personnel: Simon Lareau, Rotary Manager
And Leonardo Service Centre Manager
HELITRADES INC
18 Terry Fox Drive
Vankleek Hill ON K0B1R0
Tel: 613-678-3027
Website: www.helitradesinc.com
Email: gerry@helitradesinc.com
Personnel: Gerald Tom, Director Of Maintenance. nn n
n Chartright is a Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO #196-92) with an approved FAA Supplement. Chartright has maintenance facilities in Toronto and Kitchener and are capable of performing maintenance on a wide array of fixed and rotary wing aircraft offering a full array of services from line maintenance servicing to heavy inspections, avionics, and structures. Chartright is an authorized Leonardo Helicopters Service Centre. Contact us to discuss your next maintenance event.
n With two locations in Canada, Helitrades Inc has been proving quality workmanship and outstanding customer service to the aviation industry for more than 45 years. The Helitrades Vankleek Hill, Ontario facility is a Bell approved Customer Service Facility for Field Maintenance and Dynamic Component repair/overhaul. Helitrades location in Ontario is an Authorized Service Center for Woodward HRT, North America, for the hydraulic Servo Actuator/Cylinder repair/overhaul.
TEXAS
TECH-TOOL PLASTICS
7800 Skyline Park Dr Fort Worth TX 76108
Tel: 817-246-4694
Toll Free: 800-433-2210
Website: www.tech-tool.com
Email: info@tech-tool.com
Personnel: Tracy Wilson, President Teri Wilson, Cfo
Tech-Tool Plastics is the leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality replacement and custom windows for rotorcraft. Serving models from Airbus, Bell, MD Helicopter, and Schweizer, we specialize in durable, easy-to-install solutions trusted across the industry. For almost 50 years, Tech-Tool Plastics has built a reputation for being the premier go-to provider of replacement and custom windows for rotorcraft.
ENGINE MRO
ENGINE MRO, AND SO MUCH MORE
• GE Aerospace – T700/CT7
• Pratt & Whitney Canada – PT6T & PW200
• Rolls-Royce – M250 & RR300
• Safran – Arriel 1 & 2
AIRFRAMES
• Airbus – H125/AS350, AS355, H130/EC130 & AS550/AS555
• Bell – B204/205, B222/230/430 & UH-1 series
DYNAMIC COMPONENTS
• Airbus – H125/AS350, AS355, H130/EC130 & AS550/AS555
AVIONICS
• StableLight™ 4-Axis AutoPilot
• Glass cockpit
• ADS-B
DESIGN SERVICES
• Full FAA & EASA approved design & modification services
ATAC TO BE INDUCTED INTO CANADA’S AVIATION HALL OF FAME
Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame has elected to induct the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) by bestowing it with the Hall’s Belt of Orion Award for Excellence in 2026.
The Belt of Orion Award for Excellence was founded by Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame to honour organizations, groups, societies or associations who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of aviation in Canada.
ATAC was nominated and elected to be inducted for its over 90 years of dedication to commercial aviation in Canada. ATAC is being formally recognized for its invaluable contribution to aviation through its advocacy with authorities at the provincial, territorial, national and international levels.
A strong voice for commercial aviation in Canada, ATAC has a mandate to support its members in their commitment to a safe, world leading, and sustainable Canadian air transport industry. Ever since its creation in 1934, ATAC has not only been involved but has demonstrated strong leadership in every major commercial aviation issue in Canada including but not limited to those in aviation safety and security, the environment, flight operations, cabin operations, flight training, passenger protection laws, international business development, the transportation of dangerous goods, aviation infrastructure development, remote and northern air services, aviation maintenance, transborder overflight fees, air navigation services, foreign workers visas, government level of service, and accessible transportation. Whether legislative or regulatory initiatives, ATAC has been at the forefront of every issue and has relentlessly defended the interests not only of its members but of commercial aviation in Canada in general.
Every major air carrier in this country is or has been a member of ATAC, an association that has sprouted many spin-off associations as our industry grew and became more diversified. Even after almost one century, ATAC continues to demonstrate strong leadership and promote a strong common voice for every segment of air transportation in Canada. The association has been uncompromising in lobbying authorities with the message that what is good for aviation is good for Canada’s social and economic development. ATAC champions the assuagement of aviation regulations and the need for greater government allocation of funding of aviation infrastructure and security.
Although ATAC lobbies legislators and regulators on behalf of its members, a most valuable component of ATAC’s mandate is
the confidential operational support it offers directly to its members. Members have free access to ATAC’s highly experienced subject matter experts to help overcome regulatory hurdles hindering their operations. Members rely on ATAC to help navigate through abundant regulations and benefit from its vast network and expertise to find viable solutions. The expertise of ATAC staff is not only invaluable to members because of the combined wealth of knowledge, contacts, and experience, it is a unique set of skills that most air operators would be hard pressed to find within their ranks. This service greatly outweighs the cost of ATAC membership.
Ninety years young and undisputed champion for Canadian aviation, ATAC, with its values of inclusiveness, life-long learning, sustainability, and continuous improvement, works to rigorously advocate, educate, engage and promote on behalf of its members and the Canadian aviation industry in defense of the interests of commercial aviation in this country.
Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame was created in 1974 with a mandate to honour those individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace in Canada; and to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret artifacts and documents, thereby inspiring and educating Canadians. Its vision is to keep our aviation heroes, leaders, and innovators and their accomplishments in the hearts and minds of Canadians.
According to Greek Mythology, a brilliant constellation was named in honour of Neptune’s son, Orion. Second to the big dipper on the roster of major constellations, Orion straddles the celestial equator and is outlined by a quadrilateral of brilliant stars. Three second-magnitude stars inside this quadrilateral form the Belt of Orion and point south-eastward to Sirius, the brightest star of the heavens. The Belt of Orion has played a central role in astral navigation in the Northern Hemisphere since prehistoric times.
ATAC is very happy to have been nominated by industry stakeholders for this prestigious award and extremely honoured to join the ranks of the members of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame along with the other 28 organizations to have received the Belt of Orion Award for Excellence since 1974.
ATAC invites all past and present members to join in the celebration of ATAC’s accomplishments of the past 91 years and witness its induction into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Porter Airlines Maintenance Facility in Ottawa.
John McKenna
Isabelle Dostaler | guest columnist
When time stands still
Why flight attendants have gone 50 years without ground pay
The recent labour dispute between Air Canada and its flight attendants pulled back the curtain on one of the airline industry’s longest-standing injustices: flight attendants are paid only when planes are in motion, a practice that has persisted for more than 60 years across the global aviation industry.
On Aug. 14, Air Canada began cancelling flights ahead of a potential strike to allow an “orderly shutdown.” The strike started on Aug. 16, but less than 12 hours into it, the federal government attempted to force binding arbitration between the airline and its union.
The union defied the government order to return to work – an order that was never ratified by the court – until a tentative agreement was reached in the early hours of Aug. 19.
Much was at stake during the conflict, and both unions and carriers around the world likely followed it closely. Passenger traffic had returned to pre-pandemic levels, but profit margins were still thin. Stable fuel prices provided some financial relief, but economic and geopolitical uncertainties made carriers cautious about increasing labour costs.
The union, of course, had a very different perspective. For them, the dispute was an attempt to break new grounds and see compensation for ground duties become the new norm across the industry.
The persistence of unpaid ground time in the aviation industry can be explained through institutional isomorphism theory, a concept introduced by sociologists Paul DiMaggio and Walter Powell in 1983. While organizational theorists had traditionally focused on the variety of organizational strategies, DiMaggio and Powell argued, that over time, organizations in the same field tend to look and behave alike.
Institutional isomorphism helps explain why managers in aviation often conform to established practices, even when change might make business sense. While we tend to think business performance is the primary goal pursued by managers, a key driver of their behaviour is actually legitimacy.
For example, while offering higher salaries to attract employees to an industry still suffering from a labour shortage might be a rational business decision, the reluctance to
For the union, the Air Canada dispute was an attempt to break new ground and see compensation for ground duties become the new norm across the industry.
act differently from companies in the same sector can outweigh that logic.
DiMaggio and Powell defined three types of institutional isomorphism: coercive, mimetic and normative. First, coercive isomorphism refers to the pressures organizations face from formal and informal constraints in an industry. Such constraints are particularly acute in air transportation, which is highly regulated for safety.
Within this regulatory framework, airtime – the period of time when an aircraft is in the air between takeoff and landing – has become a standard industry measure. Aviation authorities and industry bodies such as the International Air Transport Association, International Civil Aviation Organization and European Union Aviation Safety Agency have all reinforced its use by embedding it in the safety standards, operational practices and regulatory frameworks that airlines and national regulators must follow.
The concept of airtime also endured due to mimetic isomorphism, which occurs when organizations imitate the practices of others. In the case of aviation, reproducing historical practices like pay structures has allowed airlines to cope with the uncertainty of a business that has become highly cyclical ever since deregulation started in the United States in 1978.
The last, and one of the most interesting processes pushing organizations to look alike, is normative isomorphism. This refers to the influence of educational institutions and professional networks on organizational behaviour. It stems from the professionalization of work, according DiMaggio and Powell. Nurses, doctors, engineers, accountants, pilots and flight attendants all identify with their professions at least as much as they identify with the company they work for, if not more.
Air transport was a prestigious domain in its early days, which might have contributed to the belief that real work meant work in the air. In this sense, flight attendants themselves may have unintentionally helped reinforce this norm.
In the post-pandemic period, when delays have been frequent due to labour shortages among mechanics, air traffic controllers and pilots, the unfairness of not paying flight attendants for work performed on the ground has become more visible. A union victory on this front has the potential to create a snowball effect, with unpaid ground time becoming an illegitimate practice in the industry. Whether the high-profile Air Canada labour dispute will cause a paradigm shift that causes ground pay to become the new norm in the airline industry remains to be seen. | W
This article was originally published by The Conversation. Isabelle Dostaler is Vice-President Academic and Research at the Université de l'Ontario français.
