SOMBA K'E/YELLOWNIFE
Aviation regulations and advances in the industry were discussed when around 125 delegates and 20 representatives of 18 companies attended the Northern Air Transport Association's (NATA) 37th annual general meeting, conference, and trade show at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife last week.
Stephen Nourse, executive director of the Northern Air Transport Association, speaks at the Northern Air Transport Association's annual general meeting, conference and trade show at the Explorer Hotel where more than 100 delegates gathered last Wednesday. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo
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"We're very pleased so far," NATA's executive director, Stephen Nourse, told Yellowknifer about the event, held from April 8 to 10. "The attendance is about what we targeted and this is a great opportunity to get together as an association and network."
NATA represents 39 Northern and remote air transport operators across 10 territories and provinces and has more than 50 associate members.
It intervenes with governments and regulatory bodies to ensure that small operations are not adversely affected by one-size-fits-all rule changes. The conference itself provides a chance for industry members to speak directly to visiting regulatory and government officials and air their concerns, Nourse said.
"A regulation might make sense at a major airport, but we're the voice for the operator in Kugaaruk, where that regulation may not make sense or be cost-effective," said Colin Dempsey, the conference's organizer and executive assistant at NATA.
Besides inappropriate regulations, infrastructure remains an ongoing concern for NATA and its members. Nourse said that while the territorial government is good at maintaining the facilities it inherited, it lacks the capital to build much-needed new infrastructure.
"It's relative to the population, and you can only tax people so much, but the capital just isn't available here," he said.
Industry, Tourism, and Investment Minister David Ramsay, spoke at the conference April 9, saying the aviation industry in the North faces increased challenges compared to its southern counterpart in terms of cost and applicability of regulations.
He spoke specifically of the federal proposal to mandate longer runway end safety areas at all sites with runways more than 1,200 metres long and touched on safety management systems reporting procedures.
Nourse said he appreciated the level of understanding shown by the territorial government, but remains concerned about the state of many airports in the Northwest Territories.
"As demand increases and technology improves, we're going to need things like improved approaches and better lighting," he said. "We just want governments to make sure the rules make sense, give us the right infrastructure, get out of the road, and let us do the rest."
