Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433)

[302.309 to 302.400 reserved]

Division IV — Airport Winter Maintenance

Interpretation

302.401 The following definitions apply in this Division.

AMSCR

AMSCR or Aircraft Movement Surface Condition Report means a report that details the surface conditions of all movement areas at an airport, including runways and taxiways. (AMSCR ou compte rendu de l’état de la surface pour les mouvements d’aéronefs )

contaminant

contaminant means material that collects on a surface, including standing water, snow, slush, compacted snow, ice, frost, sand, and ice control chemicals. (contaminant)

CRFI

CRFI or Canadian Runway Friction Index means the average of the friction measurements taken on runway surfaces on which freezing or frozen contaminants are present. (CRFI ou coefficient canadien de frottement sur piste )

dry snow

dry snow means snow that does not contain sufficient water to allow the crystals to stick together or bond to a surface. (neige sèche)

ice control chemicals

ice control chemicals means chemicals used to prevent ice formation, to prevent ice from bonding to a surface, or to break up or melt ice on a surface. (produits chimiques de déglaçage)

priority 1 area

priority 1 area means an airside area that, based on prevailing winds or operational requirements, is necessary to maintain the operational capability of an airport, and includes the features referred to in paragraph 322.411(1)(a) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance. (zone de priorité 1)

priority 2 area

priority 2 area means an airside area that is necessary to provide additional runway availability should wind conditions or operational requirements change, and includes the features referred to in paragraph 322.411(1)(b) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance. (zone de priorité 2)

priority 3 area

priority 3 area means an airside area that is not a priority 1 area or priority 2 area, and includes the features referred to in paragraph 322.411(1)(c) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance. (zone de priorité 3)

sand

sand means small particles of crushed angular mineral aggregates or natural sand material used to improve runway surface friction levels. (sable)

slush

slush means partially melted snow or ice, with a high water content, from which water readily flows. (neige fondante)

wet snow

wet snow means snow that will stick together when compressed but will not readily allow water to flow from it if squeezed. (neige mouillée)

Application

• 302.402 (1) Subject to paragraph (2)(b), sections 302.406 and 302.407 apply in respect of an airport if aeroplanes at the airport are operated in an air transport service under Subpart 3 of Part VII.

• (2) Sections 302.410 to 302.419 apply in respect of an airport if

  • (a) aeroplanes at the airport are operated in an air transport service under Subpart 4 or 5 of Part VII; or

  • (b) aeroplanes at the airport are operated in an air transport service under Subpart 3 of Part VII and the operator of the airport has decided to comply with those sections instead of sections 302.406 and 302.407.

Notification

302.403 The operator of an airport referred to in paragraph 302.402(2)(b) shall

• (a) provide the Minister, at least 60 days before implementing a decision to comply with sections 302.410 to 302.419 instead of sections 302.406 and 302.407, with notice in writing of that decision;

• (b) provide the Minister, at least 60 days before implementing a decision to resume complying with sections 302.406 and 302.407, with notice in writing of that decision; and

• (c) notify the air operators that use the airport, and the air navigation services provider, of any change in the level of service provided at the airport as a result of a decision referred to in paragraph (a) or (b).

[302.404 and 302.405 reserved]

Winter Maintenance Measures

• 302.406 (1) Each year, before the start of winter maintenance operations, the operator of an airport shall

  • (a) consult a representative sample of the air operators that use the airport about the intended level of winter maintenance and keep a record of the consultations;

  • (b) provide the aeronautical information publications provider with information, for publication in the Canada Flight Supplement, about the level of winter maintenance; and

  • (c) include information in the airport operations manual about the level of winter maintenance.

• (2) The operator of the airport shall use AMSCRs to report the surface conditions of all movement areas, and shall forward the AMSCRs to the air navigation services provider.

Ice Control Chemicals and Sand

• 302.407 (1) The operator of an airport shall, on movement areas, use only

  • (a) the ice control chemicals specified in subsection 322.415(1) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance; and

  • (b) sand that meets the requirements specified in subsection 322.415(2) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance.

• (2) The operator of the airport shall remove sand from movement areas, with the exception of gravel runways, as soon as

  • (a) the sand is no longer required to provide more friction for aircraft and service vehicles; and

  • (b) there are no higher operational priorities.

[302.408 to 302.409 reserved]

Airport Winter Maintenance Plan

• 302.410 (1) The operator of an airport shall have an airport winter maintenance plan that

  • (a) was developed by the operator after consultations with a representative sample of the air operators that use the airport; and

  • (b) includes the items required under section 302.411.

• (2) The operator of the airport shall review its airport winter maintenance plan at least once a year as well as each time the operator does not clear a priority area in accordance with the plan.

• (3) If the operator of the airport determines, as a result of a review, that its airport winter maintenance plan should be amended, the operator shall consult a representative sample of the air operators that use the airport before amending the plan.

• (4) The operator of the airport shall keep at the airport

  • (a) an up-to-date copy of its airport winter maintenance plan;

  • (b) a record of all consultations required under this section; and

  • (c) a record of each review required under this section.

Content

302.411 An airport winter maintenance plan shall include

• (a) procedures for identifying which airside areas are priority 1 areas, priority 2 areas or priority 3 areas during winter storm conditions;

• (b) a description of the winter maintenance operations to be carried out in an airside area once it is identified as a priority 1 area, priority 2 area or priority 3 area;

• (c) communication procedures that meet the requirements of subsection 322.411(2) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance;

• (d) procedures for publishing a NOTAM in the event of winter conditions that might be hazardous to aircraft operations or affect the use of movement areas and facilities used to provide services relating to aeronautics;

• (e) safety procedures for controlling the flow of ground vehicles during winter maintenance operations to ensure the safety of persons, vehicles and aircraft;

• (f) procedures for minimizing the risk of ice control chemicals — other than the ice control chemicals specified in subsection 322.415(1) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance — being tracked onto an airside area;

• (g) a description of the lines of authority and organizational relationships with respect to winter maintenance, including contact names and telephone numbers;

• (h) a description of how actions undertaken as part of winter maintenance will be coordinated;

• (i) a description of the arrangements for snow clearance;

• (j) a description of the process for reviewing and amending the plan;

• (k) a description of the administrative procedure for distributing the plan and its amendments; and

• (l) a list of all agreements respecting the provision of winter maintenance services for navigation aids at the airport, and signed copies of those agreements.

Removal of Contaminants from Priority Areas

• 302.412 (1) The operator of an airport who decides to operate the airport during winter storm conditions shall remove contaminants

  • (a) from priority 1 areas;

  • (b) from priority 2 areas to the extent that doing so does not compromise the operator’s ability to keep priority 1 areas operational; and

  • (c) from priority 3 areas after the winter storm conditions have ended.

• (2) If the operator of the airport does not remove contaminants from a priority area in accordance with its airport winter maintenance plan, the operator shall make a record of that fact and the surrounding circumstances.

• (3) The operator of the airport shall keep the record for two years after the day on which the operator was required to remove the contaminants.

Snow Accumulation on or Adjacent to Threshold Areas

302.413 The operator of an airport shall prevent snow that has accumulated on or adjacent to threshold areas from interfering with the operation of aeroplanes by clearing and banking the snow in a manner that meets or exceeds the specifications set out in section 322.413 of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance.

Snow Accumulation Adjacent to Runways or Taxiways

302.414 The operator of an airport shall prevent snow that has accumulated adjacent to runways or taxiways from interfering with the operation of aeroplanes by clearing and banking the snow in a manner that meets or exceeds the specifications set out in section 322.414 of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance.

Ice Control Chemicals and Sand

• 302.415 (1) The operator of an airport shall, on movement areas, use only

  • (a) the ice control chemicals specified in subsection 322.415(1) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance; and

  • (b) sand that meets the requirements specified in subsection 322.415(2) of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance.

• (2) The operator of the airport shall remove sand from movement areas, with the exception of gravel runways, as soon as

  • (a) the sand is no longer required to provide more friction for aircraft and service vehicles; and

  • (b) there are no higher operational priorities.

Friction Measurement

• 302.416 (1) The operator of an airport shall

  • (a) carry out the measurements for the purposes of determining CRFIs in accordance with section 322.416 of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance;

  • (b) provide the CRFIs to the ground station in accordance with subsection 322.411(2) of those standards; and

  • (c) maintain the accuracy of the equipment referred to in section 322.416 of those standards in accordance with that section.

• (2) Subsection (1) does not apply if

  • (a) the airport does not receive any aeroplanes operated in an air transport service under Subpart 5 of Part VII; or

  • (b) the airport runways are gravel and the airport does not receive turbo-jet-powered aeroplanes operated in an air transport service under Subpart 5 of Part VII.

Movement Area Inspections and Reports

• 302.417 (1) The operator of an airport shall

  • (a) inspect movement areas and prepare AMSCRs in accordance with section 322.417 of the Airport Standards — Airport Winter Maintenance;

  • (b) include a CRFI in each AMSCR if section 302.416 applies to the operator;

  • (c) forward AMSCRs to the air navigation services provider in a manner that will permit its prompt dissemination to aircraft operators;

  • (d) provide the aeronautical information publications provider with information about the availability of CRFIs and AMSCRs for publication in the Canada Flight Supplement; and

  • (e) include information in the airport operations manual about the availability of CRFIs and AMSCRs.

• (2) Despite paragraph (1)(b), the operator of the airport shall not include friction readings in an AMSCR if those friction readings are obtained from a runway surface using a decelerometer and if

  • (a) the runway surface is wet but there is no contaminant;

  • (b) on the runway surface there is a layer of slush but no other contaminant;

  • (c) on the runway surface there is wet snow that, when stepped on or driven on, splatters, turns to slush or results in the presence of visible water; or

  • (d) on the runway surface there is dry snow or wet snow that exceeds 2.5 cm (one inch) in depth.