The latest blow to Bombardier and the CSeries jets came from a most interesting corner, the Canadian government. Incoming Transport Minister Marc Garneau took to twitter last week to share the news that the federal government would not consider reopening the agreement which bans jet aircraft from operating at Toronto‘s Billy Bishop airport in the city center. Porter Air is hubbed at the facility and is keen to use the CSeries to expand its operations, but it faces many challenges on that front.
As the new Minister of Transport, I have been enjoying learning about my files, including re: Toronto Island Airport" 1/2
— Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) November 13, 2015
I confirm that GoC position is same as LPC commitment: we will not re-open tripartite agreement for YTZ 2/2
— Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) November 13, 2015
NIMBYism is the name of the game for the airport, with many who live in the area lobbying to close it down. As it stands today the airport is slot-restricted and also prohibits jet aircraft, both in an effort to limit noise. It is also spectacularly convenient for travelers going to or from downtown Toronto. The CSeries is blocked from operating at Billy Bishop because it is a jet. But the noise profile it produces is nearly identical to that of the Q400 turbo-props which are permitted to operate at the airport. And the deal locking out jets was signed more than 30 years ago, in an era when even the idea of jets operating so quietly was laughable. Things have changed, but the locals continue to fight.
Also of note is that it is the federal government which will not allow for reconsideration on the topic. The local government and the local airport authority are the other two parties which would have to agree to reopen the discussion. And, in theory, those two would be more attuned to the local needs. Yet it is the feds who have balked. One cannot help but wonder just how much of that is related to lobbying from other large airlines at the national level rather than true concerns of locals.
To be fair, the conditional order from Porter is only for 30 units (12 firm/18 options), but with only 243 firm orders today the CSeries needs all the help in can get, especially on the home front.
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NIMBY? YTZ opened 1939 and nowhere near anyone’s backyard.
And yet that’s a massive part of the opposition. The high-priced condos on the waterfront are some of the loudest voices fighting against YTZ.
So could Porter operate the C-series elsewhere in its network besides YTZ, if that agreement nevers get re-opened?
Sure, but the rest of the network is tiny compared to YTZ. That order never happens without the YTZ jets change.
It may be true that some lobbying happened at the federal level, but it is also because Toronto helped the Liberal Party (LPC as mentioned in the tweet) gain its majority with a sweep of central Toronto districts. (Under the parliamentary system, the government is formed by what in the US would be a majority of the House of Representatives). So if this was a part of their platform (as stated), they are unlikely to change. I’m more surprised that they had it in the platform; it would be more normal in Canadian politics to support Bombardier, as the Quebec government is doing.
As an aside, I think it’s really cool that the new transport minister is a former astronaut (first Canadian in space).
You saying that Quebec didn’t help the LPC get its throne? and what does a spaceman knows about transport….