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Air traffic controller Nav Canada closing in Halifax after COVID-induced downturn

NAV Canada air traffic controllers monitor air traffic at the NAV Canada control centre in Montreal on March 2, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Air traffic control company Nav Canada is closing its Halifax Flight Information Centre (FIC) as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to squeeze the global airline industry.

Nav Canada announced this week it was making the move to streamline its operations as the company tries to adapt to lower levels of air traffic.

The president and CEO of the company, Neil Wilson, said in a statement Nav is in the toughest moment in its history because of the economic downturn caused by the global pandemic.

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The private, non-profit company had more than five thousand employees across the country before the pandemic but has since cut 14 per cent of its workforce – more than 720 people.

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Nav Canada has also announced it is closing its FIC operations in Winnipeg, with those services being transferred to other flight information providers.

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Despite the cuts, the company will continue to provide Air Traffic Control and other air navigation services for flights around the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2020.

 

Editor’s note: This article was updated Sept. 26 at 12:45 p.m. (AT) with a correction. A previous version of this Canadian Press article implied all Nav Canada operations in Halifax are being shut down, but only the Flight Information Centre is closing. Global News regrets the error. 

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