Winnipeg’s air traffic control tower forced to close for 30 minutes in August

In a rare move, the control tower at Winnipeg’s airport was closed for half an hour earlier this month.

The Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System indicates the tower was closed for approximately 30 minutes for “fatigue management purposes.” Pilots were advised to contact the Edmonton flight information centre for information in the meantime.

A spokesperson for Nav Canada confirmed the incident in a statement to the Free Press Saturday, writing that safety is the organization’s top priority and it has “robust procedures in place” to ensure the availability of air navigation services.

“The decision to restrict traffic and… take the relatively extreme measure of closing a unit (on Aug. 10) isn’t made lightly.”–Nick von Schoenberg

“The well-being of our air traffic controllers is an important part of maintaining the safety of Canadian airspace, and our Fatigue Risk Management System sets strict limits on shift lengths, consecutive evening shifts, and mandatory rest periods to help controllers remain focused and alert,” Maryam Amini said. “Closures due to fatigue management protocols are rare.”

Nick von Schoenberg, president and CEO of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association, echoed that assessment.

“It’s quite rare,” von Schoenberg told the Free Press. He added that he didn’t have data to indicate how often these events happen. Anecdotally, he said, they have been “a little bit more frequent” in the last year or two.

CADORS indicates that the closure took place during the daytime. During the closure, Amini said, “standard contingency procedures were in place.”

Air traffic services continued to be provided to pilots by Nav Canada’s area control centre and flight information centre, by staff who are trained and equipped to manage aircraft movements in and around Winnipeg’s James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority and aircraft operators were advised in advance and the temporary closure was communicated via NOTAM (“notice to airmen”) and through the Nav Canada’s air traffic information service.

Incidents like these are a concern, von Schoenberg said. “Those different procedures would kick in, however, it is a degraded service, so take that for what it is.”

He noted that Nav Canada currently has just fewer than 1,500 fully qualified air traffic controllers (a number that does not include controllers who are absent long term for various reasons). That number is not sufficient to staff units to requirement, he added: there is a shortfall of approximately 250 controllers according to Nav Canada’s requirements.

The air traffic control association considers the actual staffing requirement to be higher than what Nav Canada defines, von Schoenberg said.

The association is asking to have a third party validated staffing methodology developed and actual requirements established to assist with long-term projections and planning in an effort to resolve the current shortstaffing situation.

Von Schoenberg called the Winnipeg tower “one of the most understaffed units in the country.” It is currently short approximately six controllers of the required 20, he said.

Nav Canada is making strong efforts to increase operational staffing levels, von Schoenberg added, but the situation will take time to resolve because of numerous factors including the attrition rate, capacity limitations in the training program and qualification rates in what is a demanding profession.

The existing workforce always prioritizes safety above everything else, von Schoenberg underscored.

“The decision to restrict traffic and… take the relatively extreme measure of closing a unit (on Aug. 10) isn’t made lightly,” he said. “That’s in order to ensure safety is maintained 100 per cent at all times.”

A spokesperson for the WAA confirmed that two departing flights experienced minor delays of fewer than 25 minutes as a result of the tower closure.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca