COPA has been in contact with Nav Canada officials over an unprecedented flight restriction imposed on VFR traffic at Vancouver International Airport.

A NOTAM that went into effect July 20 bans VFR arrivals, other than seaplane and helicopters, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. daily until Sept. 1.

Temporary VFR bans have been imposed at airports around the country over the past few years as Nav Canada deals with staff shortages, particularly in summer when staff take holidays and other staff are already doing a lot to cover this vacation time, or on week-ends.

“The Vancouver NOTAM is a special concern because its long continuous duration is unprecedented,” said COPA President and CEO Bernard Gervais. “COPA has been in contact with Nav Canada about the NOTAM and we’ve been assured that measures are being taken to correct the situation.”

Gervais, who sits on Nav Canada’s advisory committee, said the corporation has been grappling with a staff shortage for several years but he said an all-of-sudden six-week interruption of VFR arrivals, even if it is just for two hours a day, means a change in level of service that ought to go through some consultation process.

He said he expects the NOTAM to be modified over the next few days to allow VFR traffic at YVR. He also said Transport Canada is kept aware and monitoring the situation.

An earlier version of this story failed to note that the times listed in the NOTAM were Zulu times.