Night flights in Saint-Hubert | Chrono attacks Transport Canada’s decision

In addition to paralyzing its activities, the ban on night flights at Saint-Hubert airport “endangers” the future of a major mining complex and the “food security” of Inuit communities, alleges Chrono Aviation, which wants to overturn Transport Canada’s decision confirmed last month.

In a motion recently filed with the Federal Court, the Quebec airline claims that Transport Canada’s decision “suffers from a lack of justification and transparency.” According to the complainant, the authorities ignored the federal framework, which provides for broad consultations, by demonstrating bias against the airport which is now called MET – Aéroport métropolitain de Montréal.

“The decision will paralyze the activities of [Chrono]jeopardize the operation of the Mary River mine, the food security of Inuit communities and the jobs resulting from its activities in Nunavut and Longueuil,” argues Chrono.

These allegations have not yet been proven in court. The request is in addition to a lawsuit worth around 145 million filed last year by Chrono against the airport operator, which had already announced its intention to request a ban on night flights from April 2024 .

Big contract

Since 2019, Chrono has operated nighttime connections to Baffin Land twice a week to transport iron mine workers. This is a five-year contract with revenues estimated at 100 million. The problem: the carrier uses a Boeing 737-200. 45 years old, this aircraft is very noisy, but it is the only one that can land on a gravel runway.

“Approximately 1,555 employees and subcontractors in the South depend on Chrono’s service between Montreal and the Mary River aerodrome,” underlines the mine’s spokesperson, Peter Akman, in an email to The Press. The timing of these flights is crucial for the mine to remain fully operational. »

Alongside this contract, the airline says it has formed a partnership with Arctic Co-op to transport “more than 50 tonnes of perishable and non-perishable goods per month to the indigenous communities served” by this cooperative.

According to Chrono, this demonstrates that Transport Canada “blindly endorsed” a request from the airport manager and operator rather than following the federal process, entitled “Implementation of new or modified noise mitigation procedures”. This “guarantees the consultation of all stakeholders, the collection of all relevant information and informed decision-making,” underlines the Transport Canada website. According to the complainant, the mining company and Arctic Co-op should have been part of the consultations before a decision was made.

Still in the sky

The ban on night flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. was to come into force on 1^er last April. Until the case is heard on the merits – probably next week – Chrono aircraft could take off at night on the South Shore.

“We find Chrono’s legal challenge very regrettable,” says MET’s vice-president of corporate affairs, Simon-Pierre Diamond. We are hopeful that the courts [appuieront] the minister’s decision [fédéral des Transports] and that the public interest will prevail. »

By email, the office of the Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, indicated that it has been “more than a year since the company knew that the airport requested to ban Boeing 737-200 flights at night.” At the time of writing, it was not possible to contact Chrono.

The directive banning night flights will be included in the next update of Canada Air Pilot, the bible for Canadian pilots, which will be made on May 16. In the meantime, Transport Canada was to issue a directive to active transportation at the airport to prevent them from flying at night.

With Isabelle Ducas, The Press