NATA Resolution 2021-1- Canadian community scheduled air service support
Whereas Canada is the second largest country in the world but, with a population density of ten people per square mile, Canada ranks at two hundred twenty-two out of two hundred thirty-two countries in terms of population density and;
Whereas northern Canada has a population density of less than one person per square mile and accounts for about forty percent of Canada’s land mass but only about .3 percent of Canada’s population and;
Whereas Canada’s large area and small population make is essential to have an air transportation network that links all Canadian communities efficiently and seamlessly and;
Whereas communities in all three of Canada’s territories along with communities in the northern regions of all of Canada’s provinces are heavily, and in some cases, exclusively, reliant on air service for access to southern centers and;
Whereas there are currently more than twenty regional air carriers providing air service to about two thirds of all Canadian communities currently receiving scheduled air service and;
Whereas residents of regional communities served only by regional carriers will not have seamless access to larger Canadian communities unless the regional carrier serving the community has an interline agreement with one or both mainline carriers and;
Whereas without an interline agreement, regional air carriers are restricted in their ability to provide a competitive product on routes where they do compete with a mainline air carrier and;
Whereas both the railroad industry and, more recently, the telecommunications industry, have recognized the importance of ensuring both access and competition by requiring that large network carriers provide reasonable access to their route networks to small network carriers and:
Whereas regional air carriers are thankful that the Government has recognized the impact that Covid-19 is having on the aviation industry and is now developing conditional sector specific relief for air carriers.
Therefore, be it resolved that the Government of Canada apply conditions to air carrier financial relief that ensure that every Canadian community receiving scheduled air service has seamless access to other Canadian communities receiving scheduled air service by:
- Making interline agreements mandatory between Canadian air carriers licensed to provide domestic scheduled air service and
- Requiring that Canada’s large air carriers provide access to their route networks, at reasonable terms, to small network carriers through interline agreements.
Resolution Approved by NATA Board of Directors, March 2, 2021
