Published online Midwest Flyer Magazine – February/March 2021
WASHINGTON, DC – NAV Canada, the Canadian privatized air traffic control system, is in the process of downsizing as a result of budget shortfalls, many of which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This has already resulted in the elimination of hundreds of jobs, with more layoffs and potential air traffic control tower closures may be on the way. There is concern that once air traffic returns to normal that trained personnel will no longer be available to fill the vacancies.
NAV Canada has repeatedly been held up as a model that should be emulated by privatization proponents in the U.S. in spite of the funding challenges that it and other foreign privatized systems have faced. By contrast, the U.S. system has remained stable and continues to be the largest, most complex and diverse system in the world in spite of enormous challenges posed by the global pandemic.
Nav Canada reported a net loss of $584 million in FY2020, and a $100 million net loss in FY2019, and has already eliminated 900 jobs, or 17.5 percent of its workforce.