No quick fix for air traffic controller shortage in Kelowna

Travellers going through Kelowna International Airport might have noticed delays due to a lack of air traffic controllers. 

Nav Canada is a private non-profit that is in charge of keeping Canada’s airspace safe. It manages 18 million square kilometres of airspace, including in Kelowna.

Nav Canada released a statement today, Oct. 24, addressing delays at YLW since overworked and tired air traffic controllers could be a safety risk. 

“The recent temporary closures in Kelowna were precautionary measures taken under our Fatigue Risk Management System to ensure safe operations as well as the well-being of our dedicated employees. These decisions, while never taken lightly, demonstrate a responsible approach that puts safety first,” Nav Canada wrote in a statement. 

Phillip Elchitz, the director of operations at Kelowna airport, is aware of the shortage but the situation will take some time to resolve and it’s out of the airport’s hands.

“Because of the ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers in Canada, we are seeing temporary tower closures from time to time at the Kelowna International Airport,” Elchitz told iNFOnews.ca. “From time to time, sufficient staffing is not in place. And that causes planned half-hour closures for what’s referred to as fatigue breaks.”

Nav Canada is in charge of the training and hiring of air traffic controllers and tower controllers across the country, and the airport itself isn’t able to do much to address the situation. 

More air traffic and tower controllers are on the way but it takes several years of eduction to become a controller, including on the job training. It takes 20 to 27 months to be an air traffic controller and 10 to 18 months to be a tower controller. 

Tower controllers are in the towers at airports directing take-offs and landings while air traffic controllers monitor flights while they are in between airports. 

“Over the past two years, more than 450 air traffic services professionals, including 240 new air traffic controllers, have joined our ranks with nearly 500 more students currently in training across the country,” Nav Canada said in the statement. 

Kelowna is not the only airport affected by the shortage of controllers, and Nav Canada is the one who allocates where controllers work.

“Nav Canada is its own organization and they handle all of their training, all of their staffing, and all of their allocations of staff to specific towers,” Elchitz said.

He said occasional brief delays are going to continue until the airport can get more controllers.

“Between now and when there are more aircraft controls available for Kelowna, we are going to continue to see these ongoing temporary 30-minute closures to ensure that the air traffic controllers can get their fatigue breaks,” Elchitz said.