The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) announced today that the amended Air Transportation Regulations (ATR) are now finalized. 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 we administer. Launched in May 2016, the RMI's second phase of consultations was devoted to air transportation.
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"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. These amendments will reduce administrative requirements placed on airlines for routine business practices and encourageindustry innovation."
Scott Streiner, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency
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About the Agency
The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator that has, with respect to all matters necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction, all the powers of a superior court. The CTA has three core mandates: helping to keep the national transportation system running efficiently and smoothly, protecting the fundamental right of persons with disabilities to accessible transportation services, and providing consumer protection for air passengers. To help advance these mandates, the CTA makes and enforces ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and level the playing field among competitors, resolves disputes using a range of tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication, and ensures that transportation providers and users are aware of their rights and responsibilities and how the CTA can help them.
Contacts
Canadian Transportation Agency
Media Relations
Tel.: 819-934-3448
