Passenger Traffic and Screening Operations
As the civil aviation industry began to recover in 2022, CATSA responded as swiftly as possible to the volatile operating landscape and protracted industry recovery, adjusting operations where suitable while remaining focused on the organization’s security mandate.
In 2022/23, CATSA screened 57.6 million passengers, representing an increase of 134.7% compared to 2021/22, and 84.8% of the 2018/19 pre-pandemic traffic. The organization began preparing for this rebound in passenger traffic in spring 2021. Despite these ongoing efforts, the organization experienced some operational challenges during the early parts of the recovery period due primarily to the challenging labour market conditions being experienced by many front-line service industries as well as the rapid increase in traffic in spring and summer 2022.
CATSA intensified its efforts and collaboration with its screening contractors, regional offices, Transport Canada and other industry partners to address the operational pressures and delays experienced at certain checkpoints across the country.
A Post-Pandemic Civil Aviation Landscape
The sharp decline in passenger traffic and the subsequent volatile and unpredictable economic recovery has been challenging for all industry partners and stakeholders. Passenger volumes reached a historic low in April 2020, when screened traffic saw a reduction of over 97% compared to April 2019.
CATSA responded by adjusting operations and proactively engaging with its screening contractors to retain 75% of the pre-pandemic screening officer workforce. The process to acquire security screening clearances and train new recruits can take several months to complete and industry recovery would not have been possible in summer 2022 without the retention of 75% of the pre-pandemic personnel. This retention strategy also prevented much higher layoffs, thereby mitigating more severe and long-term impacts to operations and aviation stakeholders.
Furthermore, in early spring 2021, CATSA directed its screening contractors to recall laid off screening officers and hiring new screening officers in anticipation of rebounding passenger traffic and peak travel seasons. As with many front-line services across many industries, some screening officers chose not to return. Recruitment efforts continued in anticipation of a December 2021 growth in travel, within the confines of ongoing travel and public health restrictions.
In spring and summer 2022, Canada and other parts of the world experienced a significant and unprecedented demand in both domestic and international passenger traffic. More specifically, the consequential speed at which passenger traffic increased, had a significant effect on passenger wait times at certain airports, notably various checkpoints at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver and Montreal Trudeau international airports.
In response to the elevated wait-time service levels and to improve the passenger experience, CATSA’s screening contractors accelerated their existing staffing efforts by hiring and training more than 1,800 screening officers between April and August 2022 and an additional 500 screening officers were hired by December 2022 in anticipation of projected holiday forecasts provided by air carriers. As staffing was accelerated, CATSA provided regular updates to Transport Canada and key stakeholders to support the civil aviation industry efforts. Overall, these substantial efforts included improvements to how training was delivered to recruits, as well as the implementation of more streamlined and focused on-the-job training without compromising the rigour of the existing program. CATSA also continued to implement modifications to screening officer training throughout the spring and summer 2022, by suspending non-essential training, assessing opportunities to reduce in-person training, and respecting public health guidance.
The rapid initial recovery also highlighted that certain parts of the organization require increased resilience. For example, the organization’s training capacity which was already stretched, was further exposed by the need to accelerate the onboarding of thousands of new screening officers in a shorter than expected time-frame. The challenge of onboarding thousands of new screening personnel was further compounded by the high level of screening officer attrition experienced throughout the latter half of 2022. In order to address these internal pressures, CATSA secured additional training space and redeployed employees to support the existing training staff to meet the expected demands for summer 2023. Although these short-term solutions were successful, the organization will be assessing longer-term solutions for increasing its training capacity and accelerating the onboarding of new screening officers in the future.
In addition to staffing efforts, CATSA further supported the recovery by collaborating with government and industry partners, including collaborative efforts as part of the Airports Recovery Operations Committee and the COVID-19 Recovery Working Group. This essential collaboration has been critical to the recovery of civil aviation, and conducive to CATSA’s strategy for reducing wait times at security screening checkpoints. To further support collaboration, CATSA increased and enhanced existing information sharing efforts with key stakeholders, including Transport Canada, to ensure the Government of Canada was well aware of challenges, as well as improvements, in the organization’s operations.
Furthermore, in response to the disruptions in the labour market throughout 2022/23, CATSA has been working closely with its screening contractors to ensure that screening officer attrition and backfill recruitment are being addressed expeditiously.
Stakeholder Testimonial Airport Authority
Anne Marcotte
Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL)CATSA is a key partner for YUL Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. The quick recovery of air traffic in 2022 required everyone’s collaboration and CATSA’s management and employees have definitely met the challenge.
Without any doubt, trust and transparency were the key elements that allowed us to jointly address the challenges facing our airport industry. We were able to establish a frank dialogue, which enabled us to mitigate the impact of the staffing shortage and to identify solutions that were implemented quickly, even in real time. It was certainly not all smooth sailing, but the agility, proactivity and creativity allowed both YUL and CATSA teams to face the daily challenges of providing adequate service to passengers. Our respective teams have already begun to plan for the upcoming summer season. With the excellent results we saw during the past holiday season, we are confidently looking to the future with the measures proposed and the ones put in place.
Supporting Industry Partners
CATSA operates in an integrated, complex and evolving environment with different entities assigned to specific security responsibilities, including governmental partners, airport authorities, airlines, law enforcement agencies and international screening partners. Various activities, such as the scheduling of flights, passenger check-in, screening of passengers and their baggage, loading of checked baggage and boarding of aircraft, must operate seamlessly to ensure the efficient and secure movement of people and goods.
This integration requires a high degree of coordination and engagement between CATSA and its industry partners, not only to ensure the effective and efficient screening of passengers and their belongings, but also to facilitate their continuous movement through the security screening process. CATSA will continue to work in close collaboration with its third-party screening contractors, stakeholders, Transport Canada, other government departments, and international partners.
As passenger traffic began to increase significantly in spring 2022, a number of airports experienced longer wait times at certain checkpoints due to various factors. Significant volatility of passenger forecasts along with the consolidation of peaks at screening checkpoints made aligning screening capacity with demand very challenging.
CATSA leveraged its strong relationships with industry partners and its screening contractors by sharing operational data, obtaining updated carrier and airport scheduling and forecasting data, and providing detailed operational plans with key stakeholders. In addition to hiring more screening personnel, CATSA deployed additional screening equipment at several airports to support the operational needs related to the increase in passenger volumes. As well, CATSA increased the frequency of its information sharing with key stakeholders, including Transport Canada, to ensure the Government of Canada and key stakeholders were kept fully abreast of challenges and improvements at screening checkpoints. The pandemic and the recovery highlighted the importance as well as the benefits of stakeholders sharing timely and accurate information impacting our respective operations.
Legislative and Regulatory Framework
Responsibility for civil aviation security in Canada is shared among several federal departments and agencies, as well as airlines and airport authorities. CATSA, as the civil aviation security screening authority for Canada, is regulated by Transport Canada.
CATSA operates in a highly regulated and integrated environment. The organization is subject to domestic legislation and regulations in the way that it conducts its business and screening activities. These acts and regulations include, but are not limited to, the CATSA Act; the Financial Administration Act (FAA), Part X; the Aeronautics Act; and the Canadian Aviation Security Regulations, 2012.
As the regulator, Transport Canada is also responsible for developing civil aviation security screening measures which govern the technologies and procedures that CATSA may employ in carrying out its mandate. Technologies are typically based on standards adopted by international partners including the United States Transportation Security Administration and the European Civil Aviation Conference.
In addition, Transport Canada regularly monitors changes introduced by international partners, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and assesses the impact of future regulations on Canada’s aviation security system. This permits CATSA’s screening operations to remain adaptable to the evolving aviation landscape.
To stay ahead of emerging matters that impact civil aviation, CATSA actively engages with domestic and international partners and is focused on maintaining agile operations in order to respond efficiently to evolving responsibilities. The organization’s Standard Operating Procedures, including the training program for screening officers, are regularly updated to ensure CATSA stays ahead of the changing aviation environment.
Impact of International Standards on CATSA Operations
In 2020, ICAO adopted a 100% screening standard for non-passengers whereby all non-passengers are required to be screened before entering secure areas of airports for all international flights. CATSA conducted a trial of 100% NPS procedures at Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport to assess feasibility, effectiveness, and other operational impacts and considerations. The data from the trials was used to evaluate impacts on screening resources, performance and airport operations. The findings from the NPS trials were shared with Transport Canada to inform future policy decisions.
With successful trials of 100% NPS now completed, CATSA will focus on planning the implementation of those procedures, expected to begin sometime in 2023/24. It is important to note that Transport Canada is responsible for determining and regulating procedures for this initiative, including the allocation of federal funding. Moreover, the implementation of 100% NPS will require the hiring and training of additional screening officers as well as the purchase of additional screening equipment. As required, CATSA will work with airport authorities to find solutions for checkpoints that may need more space.
Ongoing Harmonization – United States Transportation Security Administration
As part of the “Beyond the Border Action Plan”, Canada and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at achieving harmonization in screening procedures at airports with United States Customs and Border Protection Preclearance. Continued harmonization will ensure that both country’s screening operations provide a comparable level of security. In 2022, CATSA worked with Transport Canada to assess the impact of potential regulatory and screening procedural changes to further harmonize screening procedures with the United States.
Governance Model
In 2019, the Government of Canada enacted the Security Screening Services Commercialization Act (SSSCA), which enables the commercialization of Canadian aviation security screening services. The SSSCA also provides for the Governor in Council designation of a corporate body under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act as the designated screening authority to assume legislated responsibility for security screening services at Canada’s designated airports.
Formal negotiations with stakeholders related to the sale of CATSA’s assets and liabilities were put on hold in March 2020, as interested parties responded to the pandemic. The timeline for negotiations and the potential sale remains undetermined.