About Us

We advocate for safe, environmentally responsible and competitive air travel by promoting the development of sound public policy and engaging with government and industry stakeholders.

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Membership

The NACC is an association intended for all air carriers facing similar regulatory and policy issues. All large passenger air carriers are eligible for NACC membership, provided that they hold the certifications and licenses required in our by-laws.

Please contact us for information about joining the NACC.

Total passengers carried by our members last year

Total number of aircraft in our members' fleets

Total number of full-time employees

$30 billion will be invested by NACC airlines on new aircraft featuring more fuel efficient engines and better aerodynamics from 2005-2020

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Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is composed of senior executives from each member airline.

Ferio Pugliese, Chair

Senior Vice-President, Air Canada Express and Government Relations, Air Canada

Jean-François Lemay

President, Air Transat

Edward Sims

President and CEO, WestJet Airlines

Mario Lafrance

Senior Director, Quality Assurance & Technical Operations, Air Transat

Calin Rovinescu

President and CEO, Air Canada

Randolph DeGooyer

President, Jazz Aviation LP

Richard Bartrem

Vice-President, Marketing and Communications, WestJet

Capt. Bob Palmer

Vice-President, Safety, Quality and Environment, Jazz Aviation LP

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Executive Committee

Our Executive Committee is composed of aviation industry experts from each member airline.

George Petsikas

Senior Director, Government and Industry Affairs, Air Transat

Fitti Lourenco

Director, Government Affairs - Federal Government and Ontario, Air Canada

Andy Gibbons

Director, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, WestJet

Olga Young

Legal Counsel, Jazz Aviation LP

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Our Team

Working with the Executive Committee, our team runs the day to day operations of the NACC.

Mike McNaney

President and CEO

Bio will be available soon.

Suzanne Acton-Gervais

Senior Director, Operations and Regulatory Affairs

As Senior Manager, Operations, Suzanne supports NACC and its subcommittees with their operational and regulatory initiatives.  Suzanne brings with her a wealth of experience and a tremendous skill set.  She was most recently Manager, Cabin Safety at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where she liaised with governments and industry stakeholders and drove the development of global standards.

Previously, Suzanne worked as Manager, Global Training at Airports Council International (ACI) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation Inspector.

Janet Meldrum

Administrative Assistant

Janet Meldrum has been with the National Airlines Council of Canada since 2011. She has over 30 years experience in various administrative roles including with various federal departments such as Transport Canada Civil Aviation Medicine, Health Canada First Nations & Inuit Health Branch and Office of Nutrition Policy & Promotion.  Janet rounds out her week by teaching piano and Music for Young Children classes.

Francesca Iacurto

Senior Director, Public Affairs

Francesca brings over 25 years of experience in advocacy and related fields including policy development, communications and stakeholder relations to her role Senior Director, Public Affairs of the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC).  Prior to joining NACC in March 2019, she held positions in four national business associations, a multinational financial services company, a federal Crown corporation, and a national consulting firm.  She also served five years in the federal government early in her career. Throughout her career, she has helped organizations achieve their policy and legislative objectives in various economic sectors including energy and natural resources, financial services, environment, trade and transportation.

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Our Committees

Many of the NACC’s activities are undertaken by our committees, representing the combined expertise of our member air carriers in the following fields:

Airport Operations

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Airport Operations Committee

The Airport Operations Committee promotes sustainable aviation safety and secure facilitation practices for airport operational and technical issues.

Mandate: To work with airports to optimize the operational efficiency of Canada’s airports in the following key areas:

  • Ground handling requirements
  • Deicing specifications
  • Irregular operations handling
  • Airport planning & construction projects

Chair:  Vacant

Cabin Safety

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Cabin Safety Committee

The Cabin Safety Committee promotes passenger and cabin crew safety, cabin crew training and safety equipment.

Mandate: To ensure a consistent and fair development and application of Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) and other applicable standards by working in partnership with other aviation stakeholders.

Chair:  Jennifer Kalinchuk, Manager, Inflight Regulatory and Government Affairs, WestJet

Communications

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Communications Committee

The Communications Committee supports the NACC by developing messaging and making recommendations on communications strategies.

Mandate: To provide guidance on communications strategy and tactics, so that NACC fulfills its objectives of being the voice of its members when engaging with government and other stakeholders.   

Chair: Peter Fitzpatrick, Manager, Media Relations, Central Region, Air Canada

Dangerous Goods

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Dangerous Goods Committee

(Information will be available soon.)

Mandate: (to follow soon)

Chair:  David Bolton, Manager, Dangerous Goods Compliance, Air Canada

Environment

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Environment Committee

The Environment Committee focuses on the many activities undertaken by the industry to reduce environmental impacts, as well as on the development and implementation of environmental laws and regulations governing airlines.

Mandate: Foster a policy and regulatory framework that delivers sustainable environmental benefits, and advance the environmental stewardship of member airlines.

Chair:  Teresa Ehman, Director, Environmental Affairs, Air Canada

Flight Operations

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Flight Operations Committee

The Flight Operations Committee works with the government and other stakeholders to promote effective regulations and practices with respect to airline operations.

Mandate: To bring forward the interests of airlines and to be effective in representing identified needs to the government in order for airlines to operate more efficiently and safely. This shall include all areas of responsibility of an Operations Manager and Chief Pilot of an airline.

Chair:   Michael Barfoot, General Manager Regulatory Compliance – Flight Operations, Air Canada

Maintenance and Engineering

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Maintenance and Engineering Committee

The Maintenance and Engineering Committee provides an industry voice for all aviation maintenance and engineering activities.

Mandate: To work on behalf of all member airlines to ensure safe, secure and appropriate regulations and policies regarding aviation maintenance and engineering activities.

Chair:  Jean Trepanier, Director, Quality Assurance, Air Transat

Monetary Affairs and Infrastructure

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Monetary Affairs and Infrastructure Committee

The Monetary Affairs and Infrastructure Committee works to support and promote the ongoing viability of the commercial aviation industry through focus on taxation policies, fee structures, efficiency initiatives and prudent infrastructure investment.

Mandate: To pursue the goals of optimizing operational efficiency and financial integrity in the following key areas:

  • Airport and infrastructure development
  • Industry cost recovery methodologies and related tariffs
  • Government policies associated with industry finance, infrastructure, and governance
  • Aviation industry specific trends in monetary and infrastructure policies and practices.

Chair:  (Vacant)

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

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Occupational Health and Safety Committee

(Information will be available soon.)

Mandate:  (to follow soon)

Chair:  Johnathan Fleming, CPHR, RN, Senior Manager, Corporate Safety, WestJet

Safety

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Safety Committee

Mandate: The mandate is to support the shared goal of maintaining the world-class safety standards of NACC member airlines.  This includes working in the following areas:

  • Continuous improvement under the evolving Safety Management System (SMS) framework
  • Representing NACC to Transport Canada, other regulatory agencies and industry bodies on safety issues
  • Sharing of safety information, threats, hazards, mitigations and best practices to support both domestic and International aviation safety goals
  • Monitoring of national and international developments in the area of aviation safety
  • Working in close partnership with other NACC subcommittees and providing strategic guidance on safety matters
  • Liaising with various national and international government and industry stakeholders to advance, develop and promote industry best practices

Chair:  Captain Robert (Bob) Palmer, Vice President, Safety, Quality and Environment, Jazz Aviation LP

Security and Facilitation

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Security and Facilitation Committee

The Security and Facilitation Committee is concerned with aviation security policies and procedures. It engages with the relevant authorities on behalf of the members.

Mandate: To represent Canada’s major airlines on security and facilitation issues by developing clear, factual and consolidated positions on key issues.

Chair:  Jared Mikoch-Gerke, Advisor, Aviation Security, WestJet

Service and Accessibility

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Service and Accessibility Committee

The Service and Accessibility Committee acts as a voice for the industry on rulings, policies, regulations and consultations that determine standards of service and accessibility for airlines.

Mandate: To ensure that member concerns and views with respect to rulings, guidance material and regulations are clearly communicated to relevant government and non-government stakeholders.

Chair: Lorne Mackenzie, Director, Regulatory and Government Affairs, WestJet

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Our Partners

The NACC engages with government and industry stakeholders to build a stronger, more competitive aviation sector. Here are our partners.

The aviation sector - a significant driver of the country's economy

With the help of more progressive and competitive policy support, the aviation industry can continue to drive Canada’s economy through job creation, trade and tourism.

Learn about our industry