Canadian pilots are calling for more robust staffing levels at air traffic control towers following a deadly collision at New York's LaGuardia Airport that claimed the lives of two Air Canada pilots.
The tragic incident has renewed focus on aviation safety protocols and workload pressures facing air traffic controllers across North America, including at major Canadian airports such as Vancouver International Airport.
Captain Tim Perry, president of the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), told reporters that while safety protocols exist, they are not always followed in practice at Canadian airports.
"It's certainly the case that positions are occasionally combined in air traffic controller towers, and that's the experience of any pilot who has flown into YVR and in fact, many other airports across the country," Perry said.
NAV Canada, which operates the country's civil air navigation system, acknowledged on Wednesday that it faces a shortage of approximately 200 air traffic controllers and is working to build capacity. The organization has established protocols to mitigate risks when positions must be combined, but pilots say the practice occurs more frequently than they would prefer.
Staffing Challenges Impact Safety Protocols
At Vancouver International Airport, duties for aircraft arrivals, departures and ground movements are officially divided among different personnel in the control tower. However, combining these positions does occur when staffing levels require it.
Perry emphasized that position combining is not necessarily unsafe when proper protocols are followed, but stressed the importance of adequate staffing levels.
"We are in favour in general of robust staffing and we have raised it as an issue," he said. "When positions are combined inside an air traffic control tower, there are protocols put in place to maintain the safety of Canadians and we want those protocols followed."
The cause of the LaGuardia Airport crash remains under investigation. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that two people were working in the tower at the time of the collision, including a local controller and a controller in charge, though full staffing details will be part of the ongoing investigation.
Industry Mourns Lost Colleagues
ALPA, which represents 13,500 aviation professionals across Canada, expressed confidence in the investigation process while mourning the loss of their colleagues.
"We have raised the issues of staffing levels at air traffic control units alongside our professional colleagues, who are air traffic controllers themselves, but it is a practice we'd like to see mitigated," Perry said.
The pilots' association continues to advocate for enhanced protocols and adequate staffing to ensure aviation safety across Canadian airspace.
This report is based on reporting by David Chen of Global News. View original article.
