The Canadian federal government has announced highly anticipated plans to relax restrictions on fully-vaccinated Canadians. This was in response to the continuing progress of vaccination efforts in Canada. FTE spoke to Neil Pakey, CEO of Nieuport Aviation and owner of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport passenger terminal, to learn more about the plans for Canada's recovery and how the terminal will be welcoming back passengers.Canada has experienced some of the most stringent travel and quarantine regulations in the world, which have had a significant impact on not only the aviation industry, but also the national and local economies. Airports Council International North America (ACINA) says that Canada's airports will see a 10% increase in traffic by 2020 and 2021, with revenue losses of $5.5 Billion for 2020 and 2021.Pakey says that others have summarized the enormous damage caused by the pandemic to airports and airlines. However, the greatest impact is not to the industry. It is to the cities and areas that the airports and airlines serve. In fact, Destination Toronto estimates that the city has lost $8.3 billion in tourist revenue since the outbreak.It is hard to overstate the importance of regional airports for the national and local economies. The airport, also known as Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto, contributed more than two billion dollars to Canada's GDP and provided employment for over 6,200 people. The airport was the sixth busiest Canadian airport, serving the United States in 2019.Toronto Pearson and City Airport are our main points of entry to the city. Unfortunately, our vital air arteries have been shut off. We need to rebuild the economy and strengthen Toronto's heart. International travel must be reestablished, especially for US business visitors. While it is possible to travel internationally when it is safe, the time for restarting must be quickly approaching with the vaccination rollout. A Toronto clinic administered 26,771 vaccines in one day. This is a record, and could be a world record. Pakey says this means that we should expect flights to begin soon.Safe Travels ProgramNieuport Aviation is the operator and owner of the Billy Bishop Airport passenger terminal. Safety has been a priority. Nieuport Aviation has been working closely with PortsToronto, the airport's landlord, and the Airport Director Gene Cabrel to develop the Safe Travels Program. This comprehensive program includes safety protocols and operational measures that are designed to create a safe environment for all passengers, staff, and partners at Billy Bishop Airport.There is a greater awareness and appreciation for safety, cleanliness, and airport processes. Nieuports and Ports Toronto are responsible to ensure that the best practices are maintained. Our strong reputation for cleanliness and safety is already evident by our consistently high scores in the ACI customer survey metrics. But we are determined to raise the bar when carriers return to flying.He added: We have also increased our investment in technology. We will continue to introduce new enhancements to improve our passenger experience and business results.To create a platform that allows for the sharing of information and enables you to track achievements and issues.Once traffic returns, maintaining social distancing will be a major challenge for airports. Nieuport Aviation uses the downtime to prepare passengers for the future. To manage the terminal's flow, the company will invest in Xovis' passenger monitoring technology. This solution sends alerts to frontline staff when passenger thresholds are exceeded. It will enable Nieuport and its operator to respond faster to queues throughout terminal.It is also beneficial to invest in technology before the pandemic. In 2019, Nieuport implemented SITAs terminal management software. This integrates data from terminal operations and seasonal schedules and sends information directly to the flight information system (FIDS). The airport will adapt the solution to reinforce social distancing messages, and communicate COVID-19 steps through its FIDS displays.Pakey also shared that Nieuport is exploring further the use of JCIs OpenBlue Technology, its facility management service. This technology offers adaptable buildings, touchless environments, contact tracing and sophisticated ventilation and sanitation systems. SITA offers a similar social distancing technology, which we are currently evaluating. Nieuport Aviation's primary goal is to provide a single platform for tracking achievements and issues, he says.New US Customs and Border Patrol preclearance facilityNieuport, which acquired the Terminal in 2015 has invested more than 50 million in technology upgrades and terminal upgrades. Plans are also in place for continued investments in projects and upgrades that will allow Toronto to continue its growth as an economic hub. These include additional terminal upgrades and a commitment for the establishment of a US Customs and Border Patrol Pre-clearance Facility. Pakey commented on the project. He said: The US pre-clearance center will be our biggest enhancement. However, it still needs final funding approvals from the government. We have been working closely with PortsToronto, carriers and other stakeholders to prepare the project.Connecting Canada and the USAConnect Airlines, a new regional airline based in the USA, expressed interest in operating from the airport. It will allow Connect Airlines to expand its connectivity to US cities and complement Billy Bishops routes with Porter and Air Canada. The possibility of having an American-based carrier at the airport is exciting. He shared that this will be a key role in the facilitation of important air links between Canada and the United States. We believe Connect Airlines is well-positioned for success in Toronto, based on our conversations. Connect Airlines has stated that they are currently working to obtain the regulatory approvals needed and plan to begin service by the end of the year. It is good to know that crew and management are being recruited.Take responsibility for our sustainability goalsAlthough current priorities are to ensure safe reopening borders and the return of travel, Nieuport is not losing sight of its long-term goals to make aviation more sustainable. Pakey says that we need to work more together as an industry. Each airport should forget about its corporate ego and just look for best practices and then copy them quickly. Every airport is unique and has its own community. However, I believe that as an industry we must work more inclusively and together, both public and private. ACI has made great strides in this regard, but we must reach out to all stakeholders at airports, many of whom have larger businesses than the airports. Let's figure out a way to ensure that all service partners and suppliers are as involved as the airports in achieving our industry's sustainability goals.
