The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Transportation and Works:

Flight Procedures Enhanced at Coastal Labrador Airstrips

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update this Honourable House on recent advancements made to improve airstrip operations on the coast of Labrador. An advanced Global Positioning System-based set of flight instrument procedures has been developed and published for use by aircraft landing in Black Tickle, Cartwright, Makkovik, Nain, Natuashish, and Postville.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador engaged Genivar Inc. through a contract valued at approximately $221,000 to develop procedures which will help improve landing frequency for aircraft and reduce delays, cancellations, and diversions to alternate locations in poor weather conditions. The project developed a total of 24 instrument procedures, including 12 approach procedures and 12 departure procedures for the runways at each of these Labrador communities.

Mr. Speaker, these instrument procedures were published by Nav Canada on March 7 of this year. These improvements are welcomed by the aviation community as they ensure a safer environment for aircraft that provide private travel, supply shipment, and emergency services in the region.

Prior to these enhancements, pilots landing on these communities were required to break from cloud cover and align aircraft with the runway visually. The new instrument procedures developed by Genivar Inc. allow pilots to align the plane while still within cloud cover, providing for an easier landing process. Our government is helping improve aviation safety and the accessibility of the transportation system for residents living in these remote communities along the Labrador coast.

Airports in Charlottetown, Mary’s Harbour, Port Hope Simpson, St. Lewis, and Williams Harbour already have these advanced instrument procedures published for use and Nav Canada is in the process of also designing procedures for Hopedale and Rigolet.

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of improving access for residents of our coastal communities. These airport improvements are another example of the strategic investments being made to strengthen the overall transportation network throughout the province.

2013 05 15                            2:20 p.m.