Air Canada wins right to challenge Toronto City Centre Airport in Federal Court
Posted March 29, 2010 7:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MONTREAL – Air Canada said Monday it has won the right to challenge in Federal Court the Toronto Port Authority’s allocation of take-off and landing slots at the Island Airport.
The airline said the Federal Court has issued an order allowing Air Canada to challenge, by way of an application for judicial review, the Toronto Port Authority’s allocation of available slots at the airport.
A hearing has been set for July 6 to 8.
Air Canada alleges the Toronto Port Authority has used an improper process to award slots.
“The TPA, a public authority, has provided a private business interest with virtually exclusive rights to use a public facility, conferring on Porter Airlines an anti-competitive advantage,” Ben Smith, Air Canada’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement.
“As a result of the TPA’s non-transparent arrangement with Porter for all the available slots at the airport, Porter has enjoyed an unfair monopoly on the Island business corridor.”
Air Canada wants to resume service to the Island Airport initially with 15 round trips a day to both Ottawa and Montreal and seven a day to Newark, N.J.
Jazz, Air Canada’s regional partner, had operated out of the island airport until 2006, when it was evicted from its terminal by a company owned by Porter founder and CEO Robert Deluce.
