The second item in this series looked at the level of commercial activity permissible and the number of slots available at the Billy Bishop Toronto Centre Airport (BBTCA) based on the provisions of the 1983 Tripartite Agreement (Agreement).  This instalment continues the discussion of slots.  http://www.torontoport.com/PortAuthority/media_content.asp?id=439

The TPA’s version

Fact: The Tripartite Agreement does not cap slots at a hard number. Instead, it employs a Noise Exposure Forecast (“NEF”) contour model to regulate the overall frequency of aircraft activity around the BBTCA. A map of this NEF perimeter is on Page III-8 of the Jacobs Consultancy noise management study.

According to the most recent data published in the Jacobs Consultancy noise management study, the pre-established NEF contours – considered to be the “cap” of maximum allowable flight activity -- have not been reached with the current traffic.

Based on the results of a capacity study, the TPA anticipates that between 42 and 92 additional slots can be made available to commercial air carriers without breaching the maximum NEF contour. These slots will be determined and allocated by a slot co-ordinator in accordance with International best practices through a careful and transparent process taking into account Tripartite Agreement restrictions, community impact, safety and noise emissions.

The CommunityAIR version

The TPA posted the above on their website in response to the claim that the Tripartite Agreement limits commercial slots at the BBTCA to a total of 97.  The 97-slot total came from Transport Canada.  As a short history of the number of permissible slots shows, the number varies.

A July 21, 1998 Transport Canada memo sets the number of slots at 97 based on commercial service using the Dash 8-100 series aircraft, a smaller plane than the Q400.

The December 2001 Sypher:Mueller Report prepared by the TPA’s consultants http://www.torontoport.com/PortAuthority/uploadedFiles/Airport/News/Report_Items/TCCAFinaDec.pdf sets the number of available slots at 112.

In 2005, consultant Pryde Schropp McComb, in a report to potential Porter’s investors, claimed the NEF contour allowed for 167 available slots.

In 2006, Roger Tassé’s released his extensively researched report on the TPA.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/policy/report/acf/torontoportauthority/e.htm  It identified the number of available slots at 120.

Why the confusion over the number of available slots?

One possible answer is Transport Canada’s (TC) errors of commission or omission. 

The Agreement charges Transport Canada with supplying the TPA and/or City of Toronto with “actual NEF Contours based on the 95 percentile level of aircraft movements during the immediately preceding calendar year.”  In addition, Transport Canada is required to supply the TPA and/or the City with a revised NEF “as soon as data is available following the end of any subsequent calendar year during which the number of general aviation aircraft movements or the number of STOL aircraft movements has increased over the immediately preceding calendar year.”

Why has Transport Canada not complied and produced a revised NEF?  After all, since Porter Airlines began service in 2006, the number of aircraft movements has increased annually.

If the example of the City’s request of Transport Canada’s for helicopter flight paths is anything to go by, Transport Canada can be accused either of willfully withholding information or gross incompetence. 

The Agreement states that Transport Canada must establish flight paths for helicopters if annual flights exceed a certain number.  The City first wrote requesting the flight paths on March 1, 2006.  The Agreement says that Transport Canada must supply the City with the information within six months of the request.  Four years later, it appears that the helicopter flight paths have finally been established. 

One possible reason for the delay is the effect on the NEF.  According to the Agreement, once helicopter flight paths are established, the number of and time of flights are factored into the NEF contour, thus cutting back on the number of available commercial slots.

The TPA’s 212 slots is the most recent number is alluded to in their Christmas Eve bulletin.

http://www.torontoport.com/PortAuthority/notices/Toronto%20Port%20Authority%20Slot%20Bulletin%20-%202009%20Dec%2024.pdf

 A careful read of Page 2 shows that between 42 and 92 slots will be added to the existing commercial carrier operations which will utilize approximately 120 slots in the period leading up to April 2010.  Thus the total slots available under the TPA consultant’s NEF calculations is between 162 and 212.

To reiterate, the number of slots available under the NEF is 97 or 112 or 167 or 120 or a range between 162 and 212, depending upon the source you wish to believe.  Note that none of these sources is the City of Toronto nor are they based on data supplied to the City of Toronto.

With regard to the TPA’s claim, “According to the most recent data published in the Jacobs Consultancy noise management study, the pre-established NEF contours – considered to be the “cap” of maximum allowable flight activity -- have not been reached with the current traffic”, try to confirm the claim.  Download the study http://www.torontoport.com/reports/BBTCA-NoiseMgmtInterimReport-Feb2010.pdf

and search for information on the following:  maximum allowable flight activity; cap; current traffic; slots; 162; 212.  Yes, the study goes to great length to describe the methodology the consultant used but it gives no results.

However, mentioned above is another study, their consultant’s capacity study.  That’s where the 42 and 92 additional slots come from.  This information is not available.  Has it been presented to the City?  Are we to accept it based on the TPA’s word?  Given the TPA’s earlier dealings with the City of Toronto on the environmental assessment for the fixed link and with the U.S. Department of Transport on availability of slots for US Air on Toronto-Philadelphia flight, probably not.

According to the most recent data published in the Jacobs Consultancy noise management study, the pre-established NEF contours – considered to be the “cap” of maximum allowable flight activity -- have not been reached with the current traffic.

As for the TPA statement, “These slots will be determined and allocated by a slot co-ordinator in accordance with International best practices through a careful and transparent process taking into account Tripartite Agreement restrictions, community impact, safety and noise emissions”, they seem to be saying that the yet-to-be-approved additional slots are a foregone conclusion.

Bob Kotyk