Bureaucratic backlogs delaying return to the cockpit, pilots say

Pilots say a Transport Canada backlog is holding up medical certification, leading to months-long delays before they can return to the skies. A significant number of pilots who have been deemed fit to fly by aviation medical examiners have been waiting a year or more to have Transport Canada greenlight their approvals, says Air Line Pilots Association president Tim Perry. "That process is taking nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 months. And that's just ludicrous," he said. "This is affecting pilots' livelihoods." Transport Canada's standard timeline is 40 business days. The bottleneck comes amid a surge in demand for pilots as travel begins to rebound after two years of depressed business due to COVID-19 restrictions. "We're going six months without a return phone call or without a return email. Partly, this is taking too long. And partly, we've got a major issue in terms of information exchange," Perry said. "We do believe that, in part, these things are being held up because Transport Canada is under-resourced." The union, which represents some 6,000 Canadian pilots, has repeatedly raised the issue with Transport Canada and plans to send it and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra a second letter of concern within a week, he said. Transport Canada spokesman Hicham Ayoun says medical certification -- often the final step in a licence renewal, which is required every two years -- usually takes about two months. "However, under the current circumstances, this service standard may experience delays," he said. "High demand for service, increasing medical complexity, and pandemic-related challenges are some of the factors contributing to the delays in service delivery."<br/>