Canada’s Pilots Facing “Pay-As-You-Go” Pricing

Annual fees paid by Canada’s private pilots would go from a current $72 (Canadian) to up to $1,272, under a new proposal from Nav Canada that is vehemently opposed by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA). Daily fees would apply for the first time each day that an aircraft departs from any of the eight major airports in Canada: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. The fees would be in addition to the $72 annual fee now required, and would begin to phase in next September, with hikes each year through 2008. Nav Canada is under pressure from the airlines to make private aviators pay more, COPA says.

New Daily Fees Would Affect All Aircraft

Annual fees paid by Canada's private pilots would go from a current $72 (Canadian) to up to $1,272, under a new proposal from Nav Canada that is vehemently opposed by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA). Daily fees would apply for the first time each day that an aircraft departs from any of the eight major airports in Canada: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. The fees would be in addition to the $72 annual fee now required, and would begin to phase in next September, with hikes each year through 2008. Nav Canada is under pressure from the airlines to make private aviators pay more, COPA says.