VFR Denial of Service

Summary of the Issue

NAV CANADA has been restricting VFR access to some areas of controlled airspace by NOTAM. These actions have forced VFR operations to either avoid the airspace in question or cancel flights.
 
COPA has been tracking this issue since 2017 and continues to lobby NAV CANADA and Transport Canada to allow GA access to all controlled airspace. COPA recognises there may be a need for specific operating procedures in some high-congestion airspace but there needs to be some accommodation to allow GA to plan flights, and use all airspace, in a predictable manner.

What is COPA doing?

June 2025

This issue has been ongoing for many years. 

In most cases, restrictions are being implemented in response to staff shortages at ATS units, reducing the capacity of those units to handle air traffic. In response, NAV CANADA Operations has chosen to restrict VFR traffic in favour of scheduled commercial IFR traffic. These restrictions are quoted as "being in the interest of safety." 

COPA believes that if these restrictions were "one-off" occurrences happening randomly, then the "Safety argument" would be understandable. Due to the long-term use of restrictions, COPA believes safety is no longer a reasonable explanation, and VFR restrictions have become a procedural reaction to a systemic operational deficiency within the ANS, which needs to be remedied.

COPA believes VFR operations do not present safety risks but instead need to be planned for and accommodated in parallel with IFR traffic. COPA further highlights that restricting access to controlled airspace can, and does, affect safety as VFR traffic is, at times, forced to avoid airspace and operate in compressed uncontrolled airspace or in areas where options in the case of emergency are limited. Forced deviations to avoid controlled airspace can also create possible exposure to unnecessary weather risks when preferred or planned routes are restricted. 

IFR operations are not prioritised in regulation and, as such, procedures to handle both IFR and VFR need to be developed despite ongoing staffing issues.

Jan 2025

COPA continues to receive reports on VFR Denial of Service  

• Numbers have gone  down significantly during the winter flying season 

NAV CANADA has advised COPA that they are working on staffing levels with full-out training, but some units, like Montreal and Vancouver, may be facing shortages for several years.  

• COPA has reiterated the need to work on staffing as the biggest issue facing NAV CANADA 

COPA highlights the need to identify a solution for Denial of Service as just pushing risk into other, uncontrolled, airspace.

Some industry feedback suggests that fatigue rules mandated by TC are playing a role in service denial, especially at smaller units.  

• Details on this impact need to be investigated further.

COPA continues to discuss this issue with our TC partners.  

• Have been advised that several TC groups are looking at risks associated with this issue, particularly around recent NOTAMs restricting training, and TC has held some discussions with NAV CANADA.