Minister of Transport Marc Garneau announced proposed changes to the Canadian Aviation Regulations on March 6 that will better protect passengers, crews and aircraft in the event an aircraft leaves the end of a runway.


The amendments would better align Canada with international standards.

The proposed measures would require Canada’s busiest airports to extend their runway end safety area (RESA) to 150 metres in order to provide extra space for an aircraft to stop safely in case of emergency. The changes would apply to 28 Canadian airports that have scheduled commercial flights and an annual threshold of at least 325,000 passengers.


The proposed measures also include other means of compliance for airports where land is not available. Airport operators would have the option to adjust a runway’s distances or install a system that would help slow down an aircraft at the end of the runway.

Transport Canada will continue to engage with impacted airports on the new requirements. Airports would have two years to comply.

Canadians and the air industry are invited to provide feedback on the proposed regulations through Canada Gazette, Part I.