Transportation, Air Transport
Open Skies Agreement, Canadian Airlines, Calgary International Airport, Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport
Canada’s largest airline, Air Canada, maintains a broad network of domestic and international routes. In early 2000, Air Canada purchased its former rival, Canadian Airlines, and now operates it as a subsidiary. Smaller carriers are also licensed. Air travel is particularly important in the far north because the widely scattered communities of the region are not connected by road or rail and water transport is limited to the brief summer periods. Of the more than 510 certified airfields, the busiest are Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto; Vancouver International Airport; Dorval and Mirabel international airports near Montreal; and Calgary International Airport. In 1995 Ottawa announced its intention to privatize most airports in Canada. The same year, Canada and the United States signed the Open Skies Agreement, which removed many of the regulations that applied to air travel between the two countries. However, U.S. airlines are still prohibited from flying routes that are entirely inside Canada.
In 1995 air travel accounted for 11.0 percent of the total value generated within the transportation sector.
Article key phrases: