The Majority Of The Amendments Will Come Into Force July 1

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has finalized its amended Air Transportation Regulations (ATR). The CTA delivers its air transportation mandate through the administration of the ATR.

The ATR were developed over thirty years ago, and while they have been adjusted over the years, they needed updating in order to reflect changes in the domestic and international aviation industry.

Specifically, amendments to the ATR include:

• modernization of air insurance provisions;
• updates to charter provisions to reflect market realities;
• clarification of code-sharing and wet-leasing provisions;
• reduced burden on licensed operators; and
• addressing housekeeping items.

The majority of the amendments will come into force July 1, 2019, while increased insurance requirements will be implemented in two years, on July 1, 2021.

The regulations reflect input that the CTA heard from the public, the air industry, experts and other interested parties during consultations held from December 2016 to October 2017, and during a 60-day comment period following the publication of draft regulations on December 22, 2018.

The regulations have been amended as part of the CTA's Regulatory Modernization Initiative (RMI), a review of all the regulations and guidelines administered by the agency. Launched in May 2016, the RMI's second phase of consultations was devoted to air transportation.

"The ATR have not changed significantly in over 30 years and needed to be updated to reflect changes in user expectations, business models and best practices in the regulatory field," said Scott Streiner, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency. These amendments will reduce administrative requirements placed on airlines for routine business practices and encourage industry innovation."

(Source: CTA news release)

FMI: www.cta-otc.gc.ca