In follow-up to an article before Christmas about a proposal by Alpha Aviation, operators of the Boundary Bay Airport (CZBB), to implement landing fees on all aircraft, we are pleased to report that after discussions between COPA, regional GA stakeholders including the BC General Aviation Association (COPA Flight 192), and management at Alpha Aviation, a moratorium is being implemented on fees for general aviation aircraft under 3,000kg (6,600lbs) and those aircraft will not be subject to a minimum fuel purchase for visits up to 2 hours in length.

COPA applauds management’s decision and commends Alpha for its continued commitment to supporting general aviation at the Boundary Bay Airport, one of the busiest airports in Canada. “Alpha Aviation and the Boundary Bay Airport have a well-established track record as friends of general aviation, including hosting COPA Flight 5’s annual COPA for Kids event – one of the most successful COPA for Kids events in the country,” said President and CEO Bernard Gervais. “We are pleased that management was willing to listen to the concerns brought forth by COPA and others in the GA community that implementing these fees would have a serious negative effect on GA in the region.”

As part of its interventions to Alpha, COPA highlighted the statistics in its 2017 Study on the Economic Impact of General Aviation in Canada, explaining that airports known to be “GA-Friendly” are consistently some of the most active airports in Canadian communities and can be major economic drivers in their regions. General Aviation contributes approximately $9.3B in direct and indirect economic output to the Canadian economy and supports approximately 36,000 jobs in businesses such as airport restaurants, maintenance facilities, and other services – many of which are found at Boundary Bay. COPA takes an active role of promoting to the GA pilots airports that are known to be friendly to the industry. We encourage pilots to do their part to support these airports by visiting often, patronizing tenant businesses, and purchasing fuel. For more information and to find airports recognized by COPA as GA Friendly, visit the Places to Fly page on our website at: http://www.oldcopa.org/places-to-fly.