Glossary of the Aircraft Movement Statistics

Air carrier
Aircraft operators, licensed by the Canadian Transportation Agency to transport persons, mail and/or goods by air.

Level I: Effective 2010, this includes every Canadian air carrier that, in the calendar year immediately preceding the reporting year, transported at least 2 million revenue passengers or at least 400 thousand tonnes of cargo.

Level II: Effective 2010, this includes every Canadian air carrier that, in the calendar year immediately preceding the reporting year, transported at least 100 thousand, but fewer than 2 million revenue passengers, or at least 50 thousand but less than 400 thousand tonnes of cargo.

Level III: Effective 2010, this includes every Canadian air carrier not classified in reporting level I or II that, in the calendar year immediately preceding the reporting year, realized gross revenues of at least 2 million dollars for the provision of air services for which the air carrier held a licence.

Level IV: Effective 2010, this includes every Canadian air carrier not classified in reporting level I, II or III that, in the calendar year immediately preceding the reporting year, realized gross revenues of less than 2 million dollars for the provision of air services for which the air carrier held a licence.

Aircraft movement
A take off, a landing, or a simulated approach by an aircraft as defined in the NAV CANADA Air Traffic Control Manual of Operations (ATC MANOPS).

Class of operation
Aircraft movements are classified as either "Itinerant" or "Local".

Commercial
Flights by aircraft operators licensed by the Canadian Transportation Agency to perform commercial air services. Commercial operations are divided into two categories: Air carrier and Other commercial.

Domestic itinerant movements
Movements, at a Canadian airport, of aircraft departing to or arriving from another point in Canada.

FSS
Flight service station.

Government-Civil
Aircraft owned by federal, provincial and municipal bodies as well as foreign states, but excluding those owned by crown corporations, boards and commissions. Such aircraft are coded "state" under "Purpose" in the Canadian civil aircraft register.

Government-Military
Aircraft of any branch of the armed forces of any nation.

I.F.R. flight
A flight conducted in accordance with Instrument Flight Rules.

International movements
Movements, at a Canadian airport, of aircraft arriving from or departing to a point outside Canada. International movements are subclassified into "transborder" (to or from a point in the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico), and "other international" (to or from points in countries other than Canada and the United States). Since aircraft movements are reported on the basis of place "arrived from" or "departed to", an arrival at Halifax airport from London, England would appear under "other international". If the same aircraft moved on to Toronto, both the departure at Halifax and the arrival at Toronto would be shown as "domestic".

Itinerant movements
At airports with control towers and/or flight service stations: for the purpose of completing air traffic records, itinerant movements are considered as movements in which aircraft proceed to or arrive from another location; or where aircraft leave the circuit but return without landing at another airport. At airports without control towers: an aircraft movement in which the aircraft arrives from or departs to a point other than the reporting airport; or a movement by an aircraft that leaves the close proximity of an airport and returns without landing at another airport.

Local movements
At airports with control towers and/or flight service stations: for the purpose of completing air traffic records, local movements are considered as movements in which the aircraft remains in the circuit. At airports without control towers: an aircraft movement in which the aircraft remains in the close proximity of the airport. Local movements are often carried out during training flights (touch-and-go), equipment tests, etc.

Maximum take-off weight
The maximum weight for which the aircraft is licensed to operate. For operational purposes, all weights are rounded upwards to the next 1,000 kilograms. Thus 3,200 kilograms becomes 4,000 kilograms.

Other commercial
Flights performed by Commercial aircraft operators not included in the Air carrier categories. Flying schools, agricultural sprayers, water-bombers, aerial photography and survey, etc.

Power plant
The source of propulsion. For example, piston engines, turbo-propellers and jet engines. "Helicopters", in this report, include both piston and turboshaft-driven engines.

Private aircraft
Aircraft used solely for private purposes, not for hire and compensation, which are classified as “Private” or “Private Restricted” in the Canadian civil aircraft register or similar registries of other countries. Owners include individuals, groups and business firms.

Runway 88
Through control zone flights, i.e. flights which communicate with the tower while transiting the tower control zone to another destination without landing at the reporting airport.
Data for these runways are not included in the grand total.

Simulated approaches
Movements that are either missed instrument or practice instrument approaches without landing.

TC
Transport Canada

Tower control zone
A controlled airspace within the proximity of an air traffic control tower, usually within a radius of less than 24 kilometres of the tower.

V.F.R. flight
A flight conducted in accordance with Visual flight rules.

Weight group
The classification of weight classes in groups for statistical purposes.