Nav Canada (stylized as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established in accordance with the Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act (ANS Act).
The company employs approximately 1,900 air traffic controllers (ATCs), 650[1] flight service specialists (FSSs) and 700 technologists. It has been responsible for the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic in Canadian airspace since November 1, 1996 when the government transferred the ANS from Transport Canada to Nav Canada. As part of the transfer, or privatization, Nav Canada paid the government CA$1.5 billion.[2]
Nav Canada manages 12 million aircraft movements a year for 40,000 customers in over 18 million square kilometres, making it the world’s second-largest air navigation service provider (ANSP) by traffic volume.[3]
Nav Canada, which operates independently of any government funding,[3] is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario.[4] It is only allowed to be funded by publicly traded debt and service charges to aircraft operators.
