OTTAWA, ON, July 28, 2026 /CNW/ — NAV CANADA announced today its traffic figure for the month of June 2026 as measured in weighted charging units for enroute, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the prior year.
In June 2026 weighted charging units were higher on average by 1.9 percent compared to the same month in 2025.
Weighted charging units represent a traffic measure that reflects the number of billable flights, aircraft size and distance flown in Canadian airspace and is the basis for movement-based service charges, which comprise the vast majority of the Company’s air traffic revenue.
About NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record, and technology innovation.
Mid-summer update: NAV CANADA-attributable delays down 91 per cent at Canada’s four busiest airports, no NAV CANADA-attributable traffic restrictions on any of the 13 Canadian match days, and summer measures fully in place through Labour Day.
OTTAWA, ON, July 22, 2026 /CNW/ — Two months after outlining its operational readiness plan for the summer 2026 travel season, NAV CANADA today reported a sharp year-over-year improvement in service delivery through the busiest stretch of the season, including the 13 FIFA World Cup 26 matches hosted in Toronto and Vancouver, and confirmed that its full suite of summer measures remains in place for the second half of the season.
Summer Operations
“In May, we said our team was ready. The results show they were,” said Marie-Pier Berman, Vice President and Chief of Operations at NAV CANADA. “Our air traffic controllers, flight service specialists and support teams absorbed some of the highest traffic increases in North America during this period and kept it moving safely. This is what more than a year of preparation looks like when it meets the moment, and the credit belongs to our people.”
Fewer Delays at Canada’s Busiest Airports
From May 1 to July 7, spanning the peak of the travel season and the entire Canadian World Cup window, the share of scheduled flights impacted by a traffic management initiative where NAV CANADA staffing or equipment was a factor fell 91 per cent year over year across Toronto Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau, Calgary and Vancouver international airports. The impacted share fell from 1.72 per cent of scheduled flights in 2025 to 0.15 per cent; the other 99.85 per cent moved with no such measure in place. At Vancouver International Airport, a principal gateway for World Cup travel, the impacted share fell from 4.99 per cent of scheduled flights to 0.34 per cent.
The gains were not a function of lighter skies. Flight volumes at the four airports themselves were essentially unchanged during the tournament window, down 0.9 per cent overall, with Toronto Pearson up 2.0 per cent.
Delivering Through the World Cup
Between June 12 and July 7, Toronto and Vancouver hosted 13 FIFA World Cup 26 matches, part of the largest sporting event ever staged in North America. For the airspace, the tournament meant less room to move: temporary restrictions published with Transport Canada narrowed the usable airspace over both host cities while heightened security operations shared the same skies.
NAV CANADA’s air traffic controllers, flight service specialists and operational support teams implemented and lifted the associated airspace measures as planned, administered Prior Permission Required protocols for business and general aviation at both gateways, and coordinated daily with airport authorities, airlines, Transport Canada, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and law enforcement partners. Across all 13 match days, no traffic management initiatives attributable to NAV CANADA were issued at either airport; the only measures on those days were routine volume-driven arrival sequencing at Vancouver and a single weather-related ground stop at Toronto. Season-wide, traffic management initiatives attributable to NAV CANADA staffing across the four airports fell by nearly three quarters from the same period last year.
Third-party data underscores the demand the system absorbed. According to figures published by Aireon, the space-based surveillance data provider, flight traffic through the Montréal flight information region, which counts every flight crossing Canadian-managed skies rather than only those landing in Canada, rose nearly 11 per cent in June compared with June 2025, among the largest increases anywhere in North America. Three of the 15 largest traffic increases in North America last month were recorded in airspace managed by NAV CANADA, with the Gander and Moncton regions also posting strong growth.
Why Performance Is Improving
The results reflect the readiness plan NAV CANADA outlined on May 19: more air traffic services professionals in the system than at any point since the pandemic, targeted summer scheduling and incentive measures at air traffic control facilities, the temporary return of operationally qualified managers to frontline duties, continued contracts with more than 50 rehired retired controllers, and technology investments such as Arrival Manager systems at all Area Control Centres. Since 2023, more than 600 air traffic services professionals have earned their licences, and staffing growth exceeded attrition by 26 per cent in 2024-2025, the strongest net growth of the post-pandemic period. Behind each of these measures is the same constant: the professionalism and dedication of NAV CANADA’s employees, in every facility and every role, who turned the plan into results.
Focus for the Remainder of the Summer
Every measure in the summer readiness plan remains in place through the Labour Day period. August typically brings the most convective weather of the season, along with sustained peak demand. Planning for the second half of the summer is built around those conditions: maintaining peak-period coverage at the busiest facilities, continuing daily demand and capacity coordination with airlines, airports and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and integrating the newly licensed controllers who continue to graduate from training programs running at record capacity.
“A strong first half of the summer is exactly that, a first half,” said Ms. Berman. “August is historically the most demanding stretch of the season, and our teams are approaching it with the same discipline they brought to the World Cup. Readiness has never meant promising that no disruption will ever occur. It means having the people, processes and technology to manage whatever the season brings, safely and transparently, and it is our people who carry that readiness into every shift.”
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record and technology innovation.
OTTAWA, ON, July 10, 2026 /CNW/ – NAV CANADA today released its financial results for the three and nine months ended May 31, 2026.
In the third quarter of fiscal 2026, NAV CANADA maintained financial stability while continuing to advance the investments that support Canada’s air navigation system. The Company stayed focused on gradually rebuilding the balance of the Rate Stabilization Account (RSA) that helps reducing rate volatility over time. At the same time, it advanced efficiency measures to manage operating costs without compromising safety or operational performance. These efforts were accompanied by ongoing actions to enhance service delivery across the air navigation system.
Subsequent to quarter-end, NAV CANADA completed the divestiture of its investment in Aireon and received the initial tranche of proceeds. NAV CANADA continued its strategic relationship with Aireon through a new service agreement designed to further enhance the safety and efficiency benefits of space-based surveillance. Looking ahead, the Company will continue to monitor ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, which may influence traffic levels and operating costs depending on its duration and severity. While the operating environment continues to evolve, recent results reflect the resilience of both the aviation ecosystem and NAV CANADA’s operating model. The Company will manage proactively, maintaining a disciplined approach to costs, investments and RSA recovery, while ensuring reliable and efficient service delivery.
“These results reflect a deliberate balance: maintaining a strong and sustainable financial foundation and managing costs with discipline, while continuing to invest in the systems that will shape the future of air navigation in Canada,” said Mark Cooper, President and CEO. “Our focus stays where it belongs: delivering safe, efficient service to the customers and industry partners who rely on us, today and in the years ahead.”
In the third quarter of fiscal 2026, the Company saw a decrease in air traffic levels, as measured in weighted charging units(1), of 0.1% on a year over year basis. The Company’s revenue was $464 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, which is consistent with the same period in fiscal 2025.
The Company ended the quarter with strong liquidity reserves, including a cash balance of $393 million. This liquidity position provides flexibility to manage through periods of air traffic volatility and cost pressures, while continuing to fund critical operations and infrastructure investments. Negative free cash flow of $52 million was generated in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, compared to positive free cash flow of $26 million in the same period in fiscal 2025, reflecting increased investment in the Company’s infrastructure.
The rate stabilization account shortfall balance increased by $9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2026. As of May 31, 2026, the shortfall balance was $98 million and is expected to be recovered from customers through future service charges.
Associated Links
The Company’s Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended May 31, 2026 can be found at:
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
Associate membership gives Canada a formal voice in shaping the future of air traffic management, extending an ongoing collaboration through four SESAR research projects
June 30, 2026 – Ottawa – NAV CANADA has been granted associate membership in the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), the European Union’s public-private partnership for the modernization of air traffic management, becoming the first air navigation service provider beyond Europe to join. The decision formalizes something pilots and passengers experience every day: Canada and Europe already share a sky.
NAV CANADA manages more than 18 million square kilometres of airspace, including the western half of the North Atlantic, the world’s busiest oceanic corridor and the gateway between North America and Europe. Membership gives the company a formal seat alongside Europe’s leading air navigation service providers, manufacturers, airlines, airports and research organizations, providing a direct opportunity to influence air traffic management research while unlocking access to future SESAR funding opportunities. It also extends the Digital European Sky, SESAR’s vision for modernized air traffic management, beyond Europe and deepens the interoperability that keeps traffic moving seamlessly across the Atlantic.
“Canada and Europe have shared a sky for as long as aircraft have crossed the Atlantic. Two years ago, we joined the iTEC Collaboration and now we are honoured to share the table where its future is designed,” said Mark Cooper, President and Chief Executive Officer of NAV CANADA. “Our membership in SESAR will help shape a safer, more efficient and sustainable sky for travellers around the world.”
While the membership is new; the groundwork behind it is not. NAV CANADA has secured a role in four major SESAR research projects, formalized through grant agreements signed earlier this month, with a combined contribution valued at approximately $7 million.Canada’s participation is made possible by its association with Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation programme, which it joined in 2024. The projects align directly with NAV CANADA’s Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) program and broader airspace modernization strategy, with work set to begin in September 2026.
The Four SESAR Projects
ARTEMISA, a project of the iTEC Collaboration, of which NAV CANADA is also the first member from beyond Europe, strengthens common system development across iTEC partners and supports long-term interoperability between Canadian and European air traffic systems.
NETWORK TBO 2, led by Eurocontrol, advances Flight and Flow Information for a Collaborative Environment (FF-ICE) concepts and supports early flight trials for trajectory-based operations, in direct alignment with NAV CANADA’s TBO Phase 1 workplan.
GEESE 2, led by Airbus, extends flight trials of wake energy retrieval, in which a trailing aircraft draws on the lift of the aircraft ahead to burn less fuel and cut CO2 emissions. NAV CANADA’s contribution focuses on the regulatory, standards and procedural work required to bring the concept safely into operations.
NATICA, led by Frequentis, integrates long-range air traffic flow management, target time of arrival, arrival sequencing and operational resilience research into a single framework, with the potential to influence operational models worldwide.
“These four projects are not adjacent to our modernization program; they are part of it,” said David Sheppard, Vice President and Chief Technology and Information Officer at NAV CANADA. “Every concept we test with partners like Eurocontrol, Airbus and Frequentis, from trajectory-based operations to arrival management, feeds directly into the technology roadmap for Canadian airspace. The research flows both ways, and Canada’s operational experience flows with it.”
“This milestone rests on years of working shoulder to shoulder with partners across the North Atlantic,” said Blake Cushnie, Director, TBO Airspace and European Programs at NAV CANADA. “Our long-standing collaboration with NATS in particular helped lay the groundwork, and this membership now lets us take that work further, establishing Canada as the gateway to Europe from North America and more closely aligning operations on both sides of the ocean.”
Research for a Cleaner Sky
The projects also place NAV CANADA at the forefront of efforts to reduce aviation’s climate footprint. Some target greater efficiency, cutting fuel use and emissions, including the wake energy retrieval trials in GEESE 2. Others advance research into contrails, a major contributor to aviation’s climate impact beyond CO2, whose formation depends on precisely how and where aircraft are flown, making air navigation one of the most powerful levers to address it. With responsibility for some of the world’s busiest oceanic airspace, where major international routes converge, NAV CANADA brings Canadian expertise to research whose results will be felt across the world’s skies, not only over Canada.
Quick Facts
NAV CANADA is the first air navigation service provider beyond Europe granted associate membership in the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking.
The membership follows NAV CANADA’s selection to four SESAR research projects: ARTEMISA, NETWORK TBO 2, GEESE 2 and NATICA, with a combined contribution valued at approximately $7 million.
NAV CANADA joins in a cohort of four new members, expanding the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking to 59 organizations across the European aviation ecosystem.
The research spans aviation’s climate impact, from fuel-efficiency gains that reduce CO2, including the GEESE 2 wake energy retrieval trials, to work on non-CO2 effects such as contrails.
In 2024, NAV CANADA was also the first member beyond Europe to join the iTEC Collaboration, co-developing next-generation air traffic systems with seven European air navigation service providers; in June 2025, Edmonton’s Area Control Centre became the first Canadian site selected for iTEC SkyNex.
NAV CANADA manages more than 18 million square kilometres of airspace, including the western half of the North Atlantic, the world’s busiest oceanic airspace.
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record and technology innovation.
About SESAR Joint Undertaking
The SESAR Joint Undertaking brings together the EU, Eurocontrol, and more than 50 organisations covering the entire aviation value chain, from airports, airspace users, air navigation service providers, drone operators and service providers, the manufacturing industry and the scientific community. The partnership also works closely with the regulatory and standardisation bodies, notably EASA and EUROCAE, as well as key stakeholders such as professional staff organisations, the space and military communities and global partners. www.sesarju.eu
OTTAWA, ON, June 25, 2026 /CNW/ – NAV CANADA announced today its traffic figure for the month of May 2026 as measured in weighted charging units for enroute, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the prior year.
In May 2026 weighted charging units were higher on average by 2.2 percent compared to the same month in 2025.
Weighted charging units represent a traffic measure that reflects the number of billable flights, aircraft size and distance flown in Canadian airspace and is the basis for movement-based service charges, which comprise the vast majority of the Company’s air traffic revenue.
About NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record, and technology innovation.
OTTAWA, ON, June 1, 2026 /CNW/ – NAV CANADA announced today its traffic figure for the month of April 2026 as measured in weighted charging units for enroute, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the prior year.
In April 2026 weighted charging units were lower on average by 0.9 percent compared to the same month in 2025.
Weighted charging units represent a traffic measure that reflects the number of billable flights, aircraft size and distance flown in Canadian airspace and is the basis for movement-based service charges, which comprise the vast majority of the Company’s air traffic revenue.
About NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record, and technology innovation.
Agreement signed at Airspace World 2026 in Lisbon marks a tangible step forward in Canada’s RPAS Traffic Management transformation
LISBON, PORTUGAL, May 26, 2026 /CNW/ – NAV CANADA today announced the selection of Indra Group as its technology partner to deliver the RPAS Flight Information Management System (rFIMS), the centralized digital platform at the core of Canada’s evolving framework for the safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) into Canadian airspace.
David Sheppard, NAV CANADA’s VP & Chief Technology and Information Officer, and Victor Martínez, Executive Vice President of ATM at Indra Group, shake hands. Also in attendance: Mark Cooper, President and CEO of NAV CANADA; Alan Chapman Director, RPAS Traffic Management at NAV CANADA; and the Indra leadership team. (CNW Group/NAV CANADA)
The agreement was formalized today at Airspace World 2026 in Lisbon, where NAV CANADA leadership joined Indra Group counterparts for a signing ceremony on the margins of the global air traffic management industry’s leading annual gathering. In attendance from NAV CANADA were Mark Cooper, President and Chief Executive Officer; David Sheppard, Vice President and Chief Technology and Information Officer, and Alan Chapman, Director of RPAS Traffic Management.
The announcement is a concrete step forward on the joint vision NAV CANADA and Transport Canada set out in their 2023 RPAS Traffic Management (RTM) Concept of Operations, which laid out a 2030 collaborative ecosystem of NAV CANADA, RTM Service Providers (RSPs), Transport Canada, and industry partners working together to enable safe and sustainable growth in Canadian RPAS operations.
A foundational platform for Canada’s drone future
rFIMS will deliver the centralized digital services and key interfaces between NAV CANADA and a growing ecosystem of RSPs that will provide services directly to drone operators and pilots. It will be deployed in phases, with initial capabilities targeted to go live in 2029, beginning with foundational flight management, monitoring and connectivity services, and progressing toward enhanced operational intelligence and tactical conflict management.
“NAV CANADA’s mandate is to keep Canadian skies safe and our airspace ready for the next generation of users. Today’s agreement with Indra Group is a foundational step in delivering on that responsibility — putting in place the digital infrastructure to safely and efficiently integrate drones into Canadian airspace, and ensuring Canada continues to lead globally in air navigation services.” said Mark Cooper, President and Chief Executive Officer at NAV CANADA.
“A recent NAV CANADA study forecasts exponential growth in Canada’s drone sector — a significant economic opportunity that can only be realized with the right digital infrastructure in place. Today’s agreement with Indra Group demonstrates our commitment to enabling that growth and to safely integrating drones into Canadian airspace,” said David Sheppard, Vice President and Chief Technology and Information Officer at NAV CANADA.
Victor Martínez, Executive Vice President of ATM at Indra Group, highlighted: “This new agreement will consolidate our close collaboration with NAV CANADA and project it towards one of the major challenges facing the future of aviation, namely the safe and efficient integration of drones into the airspace. We’re proud to be accompanying NAV CANADA to build an ecosystem in which manned and unmanned aircraft can operate in a coordinated manner, contributing to transforming air traffic management in Canada and, at the same time, enhancing our standing as a leading technological partner in North America”.
Signalling a path forward for prospective RTM Service Providers
A key outcome of the partnership is greater visibility for the broader Canadian RPAS industry — and prospective RSPs in particular — on how and when they will be engaged as rFIMS comes online. NAV CANADA’s architecture has been designed from the outset to be open and to enable third-party RSPs to offer differentiated services to operators across Canada, whether in defined geographic areas or at a national level. Over the coming months, NAV CANADA will work with Transport Canada, prospective RSPs and other industry stakeholders to further develop the framework within which RSPs will operate, including the safety and quality standards required for participation.
“Canadian RPAS operators and prospective service providers have been waiting for clarity on what comes next,” said Alan Chapman, Director of RPAS Traffic Management at NAV CANADA. “Today’s announcement is the start of a more concrete engagement with that community, with initial rFIMS capabilities targeted to go live in 2029. We look forward to working with industry as we build out the full RTM ecosystem in the years ahead.”
Canadian leadership at the table
NAV CANADA’s presence at Airspace World 2026 extends well beyond today’s signing. Senior leaders are contributing across the three days of the conference, joining international panels on civil-military collaboration and airspace resilience in a shifting geopolitical era, the future of ATM and the talent needed to deliver it, and moving Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) from concept to implementation.
NAV CANADA is recognized globally as one of the leading air navigation service providers in enabling safe drone integration, drawing on five years of operational experience with NAV Drone, sustained gains in automation and situational awareness, and a robust safety management framework. Today’s partnership with Indra Group builds on this leadership and extends Canada’s contribution to the evolving global drone traffic management landscape.
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record and technology innovation.
About Indra Group
Indra Group (www.indracompany.com) is the foremost Spanish multinational and one of the leading European companies in the areas of defence and advanced digitization. It is at the forefront of the defence, space, air traffic management, mobility, and transformational technology businesses through Minsait, and it integrates its sovereign AI, cybersecurity, and cyberdefence capabilities into IndraMind. Indra Group is paving the way to a more secure and better-connected future through innovative solutions, trusted relationships, and the very best talent. Sustainability is an integral part of its strategy and culture in order to overcome current and future social and environmental challenges. At the close of the 2025 financial year, Indra Group posted revenues totaling €5.457 billion and had a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.
Record investment in staffing, training, and technology positions Canada’s air navigation system for heightened seasonal demand
OTTAWA, ON, May 19, 2026 /CNW/ – NAV CANADA today outlined the measures in place to support safe and resilient air navigation services through the summer 2026 travel season, including during major international events hosted in Canada.
As peak travel demand approaches, NAV CANADA has implemented a comprehensive operational readiness plan drawing on expanded staffing capacity, targeted incentive programs, enhanced coordination with airlines and airports, and continued investment in the technologies that support Canada’s air traffic management system.
NAV CANADA (CNW Group/NAV CANADA)
“We have been preparing for this summer for well over a year,” said Marie-Pier Berman, Vice President and Chief of Operations at NAV CANADA. “Our team is ready. We have more air traffic controllers in the system than at any point since the pandemic, we have invested in the tools and processes that make our operation more resilient, and we are working closely with our partners across the aviation industry to deliver the safest and most efficient service possible. Canadians should be confident in the system that keeps them safe.”
Staffing and Workforce Readiness
NAV CANADA currently employs more than 2,800 air traffic service professionals, including approximately 2,100 air traffic controllers and 700 flight service specialists, with close to 550 additional students in training across the country.
Since 2023, more than 600 air traffic service professionals have received their licences, including more than 300 air traffic controllers. In 2024-2025, staffing growth exceeded attrition by 26 per cent, the strongest net growth the organization has achieved in the post-pandemic period.
For the summer season, NAV CANADA has activated additional measures to maximize operational coverage, including a temporary return of management staff with operational qualifications to frontline duties, maintaining contracts with more than 50 rehired retired controllers, and implementing strategic scheduling to ensure peak-period coverage at Canada’s busiest facilities.
Investment in Training and Technology
NAV CANADA has invested more than $3.5 billion in modernization since its creation in 1996 and is investing $368.1 million over four years in workforce recovery, including expanded training capacity and accelerated recruitment. A new $40-million-plus simulation technology modernization program, launching this year in partnership with Micro Nav, will improve training throughput and success rates through adaptive learning technologies and expanded simulator availability.
The organization’s partnership with CAE, a made-in-Canada collaboration, has added training capacity for 500 additional students through 2028. NAV CANADA also operates seven training schools at record capacity nationwide.
Technology investments already in operation include Arrival Manager (AMAN) systems at all Area Control Centres, which optimize aircraft sequencing to reduce controller workload and maximize runway capacity, and enhanced surveillance through space-based ADS-B providing comprehensive coverage over oceans and high-altitude airspace.
Track Record with Major Events
NAV CANADA has a proven track record of delivering safe and efficient services during periods of heightened demand and international events, including the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the 2018 G7 Summit in Charlevoix, the 2025 G7 Summit in Kananaskis and the Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal year after year. Operational planning for summer 2026 builds on the protocols and lessons learned from these events, including enhanced coordination with airlines, airport authorities, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada, the RCMP and local law enforcement partners.
Coordination Across the Aviation System
Delivering a seamless travel experience requires coordination across the entire aviation system. NAV CANADA is working with airlines, airports, and Transport Canada to align scheduled demand with available capacity, enforce Prior Permission Required protocols for general and business aviation traffic at peak periods, and implement proactive demand management strategies that increase predictability.
“Aviation safety — both in the air and on the ground — is a responsibility shared by the entire industry,” said Ms. Berman. “We are in solution mode: focused on strengthening service resiliency, supporting our people, and upholding the highest standards of safety Canadians and travellers rightly expect.”
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record and technology innovation.
OTTAWA, ON, May 14, 2026 /CNW/ – NAV CANADA today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its entire equity interest in Aireon Holdings LLC to a subsidiary of Iridium Communications Inc. for an aggregate purchase price of $166 million USD (subject to adjustment).
Aireon is a leading provider of surveillance data and services to the aviation industry by operating a real-time, air traffic surveillance (ATS) system using space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, enabling coverage over areas where the deployment of ground-based systems is not feasible, including oceans, polar regions and remote airspace.
NAV CANADA was one of the first to make a significant equity investment in Aireon in 2012, and over the course of the last decade has collaborated with Aireon, Iridium and other Air Navigation Service Provider investors in Aireon to successfully launch and grow its business. The consummation of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to occur in the summer of 2026. The purchase price is set to be paid in two tranches – 50% at closing and 50% on the one-year anniversary.
“This decision aligns with our continued focus on our core services and our strategic direction, ensuring we deliver the greatest value to our customers and stakeholders,” Micheline Pion, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “Having achieved our strategic objectives of establishing space-based surveillance capabilities and helping to grow Aireon’s business into a robust provider of data used by NAV CANADA, we are now poised to enter into the next phase of our commercial relationship with Aireon.”
NAV CANADA first deployed space-based ADS-B capabilities in oceanic airspace in 2019, providing enhanced situational awareness to air traffic services and more efficient routing to aircraft operators. NAV CANADA was also the first in the world to use space-based ADS-B in domestic airspace. The Company will continue to leverage the full benefits of Aireon surveillance data in the safe, efficient and secure delivery of air navigation services through an extension of its Data Services Agreement with Aireon.
RBC Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to NAV CANADA.
About NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record and technology innovation.
Largest aviation safety conference in Canada draws record participation from regulators, airlines, labour, and technology partners
OTTAWA, ON, May 11, 2026 /CNW/ – Last week, NAV CANADA hosted the 2026 Aviation Safety Forum, bringing together more than 480 aviation professionals from Canada and around the world to advance the safety priorities shaping the future of air travel.
Held May 5 to 7 in Ottawa under the theme “Innovating for Safety”, the forum brought participants together in person and online to discuss the evolving role of human performance, the integration of new technologies into operational environments, and how data-sharing across the industry can strengthen system-wide resilience.
Anthony MacKay, (CNW Group/NAV CANADA)
Now in its fifth edition under NAV CANADA’s leadership, the forum reached full capacity within weeks of registration opening, a reflection of the aviation industry’s shared commitment to safety as the foundation of every operational decision.
Rober Fiege, Assistant Vice President, Airport & Flight Information Services, NAV CANADA
“Aviation safety is built every day, by every professional in the system, through every decision they make,” said Anthony MacKay, NAV CANADA’s Vice President and Chief Safety and Quality Officer. “Record participation at this year’s forum sends a strong signal – when we come together, our collective impact is greater than what we can achieve alone. Continuous improvement in our industry depends on the willingness of operators, regulators, technology, aircraft and ATS equipment manufacturers, and labour leaders to engage honestly on the hardest questions – and to translate that engagement into action.”
Rachelle Léger, Director, Safety Management Systems, NAV CANADA and Nicolas Jean, Manager, Area Control Centre Operations, NAV CANADA.
NAV CANADA’s role in convening the forum is part of the organization’s broader commitment to aviation safety. Canada’s air navigation system is among the safest in the world, with NAV CANADA’s rate of IFR-to-IFR losses of separation approximately one-fifth the average of leading air navigation service providers globally. NAV CANADA also leads National Runway Safety Team (RSAT) initiatives, publishing checklists and processes for Local Runway Safety Teams (LRST) to use. The ASF includes a cross-industry forum that brings together aviation stakeholders to advance runway safety in Canada.
“Every participant at this forum represents an organization with the capacity to influence safety outcomes for millions of Canadians and travelers, MacKay added. The value of bringing them together shows through what they take back to their own operations.”
NAV CANADA will continue to work with partners across the industry to support a safe, efficient, and resilient air navigation system.
About NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA is a private, not-for-profit company, established in 1996, providing air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace.
The Company is internationally recognized for its safety record and technology innovation.
