Canadian government has requested an urgent meeting with the US Federal Aviation Administration over proposed new overflight fees that Ottawa sees as 'highly discriminatory'.
From 19 May, the FAA will begin charging fees for aircraft which fly through US airspace, but do not take off or land in the US. The fees are expected to raise some $90 million for fiscal year 1998 and fall in line with the practices of many other countries. However, Canadian airlines and authorities are protesting that neither the way the FAA has introduced its new system nor the fees themselves comply with international principles.
In particular, Canadians are concerned about the FAA's planned trans-oceanic fees of $69.50 per 100 nautical miles. They point out the fees will adversely affect airlines whose routes take them across the Pacific, through US airspace, but without taking off or landing on US soil. For example, two aircraft flying to Tokyo, one from Seattle and the other from Vancouver, will have identical route plans, but the Vancouver-bound flight will be charged some $4,000 for the round trip while the Seattle flight is charged nothing.
'We feel this is highly discriminatory,' says John Crichton, president and chief executive officer of the Air Transport Association of Canada. 'We do not object in any way to the principle of charges, but we have very major concerns about how this is being implemented.' Chrichton adds that by introducing the new charges via an interim final rule normally reserved for urgent, safety-related rulings, the FAAis removing the facility for consultation, contrary to international agreements. 'It reminds me of a ready, shoot, aim philosophy.'
Source: Airline Business
