Some sizeable airports across the country have been at least temporarily stripped of their official “international” status and will have to apply to get it back. Transport Canada issued an advisory circular in January that listed just 13 airports as qualifying to include “international” in their names even though they’ve been handling flights to the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and even Germany for years. The AC came as part of Transport Canada’s bid to conform to ICAO standard terminology and it’s not clear how the agency determined the list of acknowledged aviation gateways but it’s almost certain to grow.
When the list became known, local media across the country contacted their local airport authorities in places like Victoria, Kelowna and Regina and were assured it’s a paperwork exercise. The airports have until June 30 to let TC know they have ticked the boxes on the ICAO requirements. The only consequence of not meeting the deadline is having the “international” descriptor dropped from the airport’s listings in the CFS and AIP.