The House of Commons transport committee yesterday by unanimous vote agreed to summon Transport Minister Omar Alghabra for answers on how to “fix the mess” at federally-regulated airports. No Liberal MP spoke in Alghabra’s defence..“The minister should address the critical issues facing our airports so Canadians can understand if the government is doing anything to fix the mess and not simply waiting out the height of peak travel season in an effort to further abdicate their responsibility,” said Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, Ont.)..According to Blacklock's Reporter, the committee without comment passed Lantsman’s motion asking that “the minister of transport appear before the committee for no fewer than two hours on the subject of airport delays and cancellations, the ArriveCan app and re-imposed measures on travelers and that the meeting take place no later than August 19.”.“We saw huge lineups at the beginning of April, and I think by this point it is unacceptable for the government to be taken by surprise and continue to tell Canadians they are working on it,” said Lantsman. “All the warning signs were there and there should be at the very least a plan to fix the issues we’re seeing now.”.Figures from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority show federal regulators knew of a continual increase in passenger volumes last winter. January passenger volumes year over year increased 198% followed by gains of 436% in February, 575% in March, 705% in April and 779% in May..“Passenger volumes have increased dramatically,” the Authority wrote in a plan tabled in Parliament. “Consequently the civil aviation security screening landscape has changed significantly and will likely continue to be fluid for some time.”.“The chaos at Toronto Pearson International Airport has reached the global stage,” said Lantsman. “Pearson is ranked the worst airport in the world on flight delays. Montréal is coming in second.”.The Greater Toronto Airports Authority last Friday disclosed only 35% of flights were on time in July. The average to date in August was 44%..The Department of Transport compiles on-time performance data under an Electronic Collection of Air Transportation Statistics program that tracks all airlines. The data are not publicly accessible..“The lack of information collected and shared with the public regarding the performance of air travel stakeholders hinders transparency and reduces passengers’ ability to make informed air travel choices,” the transport department wrote in a 2019 Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement.
