Transport committee  Our experience has been that SMS can be geared to the size and complexity of the individual airports and so on. As Mr. Maybee said, one of the biggest challenges with SMS implementation is the administrative side of it. It takes resources and so on to be able to keep that system

Transport committee  As I mentioned earlier, at our airports, we don't feel that runway end safety areas are a proactive solution to the problem of aircraft overruns. There's certainly value in RESAs, and they are able to minimize risk, damage, and so forth, but really, I think it needs to be done in

Transport committee  From the flight operations perspective, it's really not our area of expertise. It's more on the ground, the airport environment and the infrastructure on the ground, that is really the area for which we're probably best capable of responding.

Transport committee  Right now, over the last couple of years, there's certainly been significant consultation between the air operators and stakeholders and Transport Canada on the implementation on runway end safety areas. There was an extensive risk assessment done by Transport Canada at the reque

Transport committee  I would have to agree with Mr. Gow. We need to provide civil aviation inspectors with adequate training, resources, and so on to enable them to be more accessible to the stakeholders and to more effectively implement the regulations.

Transport committee  Certainly when it comes to runway overruns, one of the things that have been proposed is the implementation of runway-end safety areas. From an airport operator's perspective, I guess, we look at that as a somewhat reactive response to a safety concern. The implementation or inst

Transport committee  I can't speak to whether or not they are happening more often. I guess just by the nature of the fact that more aircraft are flying and the fact there certainly is more coverage oft hose types of things, it's probably more noticeable. But from an airport perspective, one thing

Transport committee  Again, from an airport operator's perspective, I can't speak to the flight operations part of it, but I would like to say again that there is more than runway-end safety areas that need to be looked at in resolving those issues.

Transport committee  As I said earlier, in the past Transport Canada would send in a team of subject matter experts. They would go physically into the airfield, boots on the ground, and conduct an inspection based on specific standards and regulations. They would identify deficiencies found, and thos

Transport committee  I think that is it in a nutshell, the ability to tap into federal funds. These smaller airports in particular do not have the passenger base to be able to sustain this critical infrastructure on their own, whether it be through airport user fees or an airport improvement fee spec

Transport committee  Yes, if I could. I would just like to add that there seems to be less interaction with the regulator from the airport's perspective now, because the oversight process has changed. I don't think that necessarily means that oversight has diminished; it's just a different process.

Transport committee  Certainly I think so. When you look at the Atlantic region in particular, there's certainly fog and inclement weather in general. You need go no further than Environment Canada to understand that the Atlantic provinces have some of the worst weather in the country. Dealing with t

Transport committee  In the Atlantic region, one of the things that has an impact—certainly on accessibility to Transport Canada inspectors—is the high turnover rates. As Mr. Maybee also said, there appear to be declining levels of knowledge and so on associated with these high turnover rates. I gu

Transport committee  Thank you. Mr. Chairperson and members of the committee, on behalf of Atlantic Canada's airports, it is a pleasure to be here today as part of your study on aviation safety. The Atlantic Canada Airports Association has 12 airport members responsible for nearly all passenger and