An Air Canada pilot expressed his frustrations regarding air traffic controller shortages during a recent flight from Vancouver to Montreal. The incident occurred on Saturday when the pilot announced a 50-minute delay to passengers over the intercom. He urged them to contact their Members of Parliament to address the ongoing delays affecting airports across Canada.

The pilot highlighted that the air traffic controller sector, managed by the private company Nav Canada, is currently understaffed. He noted that sick calls had contributed to the delays at the airport that day. "It's very annoying," the pilot stated. "It's cost the company a lot of money. It costs business people a lot of money, and it would be great to have this addressed."

Air Canada has reported experiencing unexpected delays at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in recent weeks. The airport confirmed that a shortage of air traffic controllers has led to numerous delays and cancellations. The pilot further accused Nav Canada of maintaining a low number of new trainees to increase overtime costs, urging passengers to inform their representatives about the situation. "Please write your MP and let them know what's going on and how it's affecting your business or your leisure plans," he implored.

The pilot's comments come shortly after Nav Canada acknowledged that "resource constraints" had resulted in numerous flight cancellations and delays. An Air Canada spokesperson confirmed that these restrictions have impacted airline schedules at YVR for several weeks.

In response to the pilot's claims, a Nav Canada spokesperson denied that trainees were being intentionally rejected to protect overtime. They stated that the organization is actively scaling up training operations to address the shortage of air traffic controllers. The spokesperson emphasized that the labor shortage is a nationwide issue that requires a collective effort to resolve.

Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, noted that while passenger frustrations with delays are understandable, the issue is systemic rather than the fault of individual air traffic controllers. "If we need more people at work, let's direct our collective attention to doing that," he said. Perry called for collaboration among all stakeholders, including government, labor representatives, and employers, to ensure the system is adequately staffed.

Teara Fraser, CEO of Indigenous-owned airline Iskwew Air, reported that her short flights between YVR and Qualicum Beach have been consistently delayed, with wait times ranging from 20 minutes to two hours. She emphasized that the air traffic controller shortage is not a new problem but is worsening. Fraser urged the federal government to provide proper funding for airports, airlines, and service providers.

Nav Canada confirmed that a temporary traffic management initiative was implemented due to resource constraints, which contributed to the delays. The spokesperson stated that the company is significantly expanding its training capacity to meet the growing demand for air traffic controllers. Currently, there are nearly 500 students in training programs, with expectations to increase that number to approximately 1,500 by 2028.

The spokesperson also refuted the pilot's allegations regarding the rejection of trainees, explaining that a multidisciplinary panel evaluates each candidate's progress before any training decisions are made. They highlighted that nearly 40 air traffic controller licenses have been issued in Vancouver over the past year, indicating progress in addressing the staffing challenges.