BABY ON BOARD
Transport Canada looks to make commercial air travel safer for infants and young children,
Transport Canada says it will act to reduce the risk that infants and children face when flying on commercial aircraft, but fell short of mandating the immediate use of child restraint systems.
It promised to increase the types of systems permitted on Canadian aircraft by allowing those approved by other jurisdictions. It also plans to launch a public awareness campaign this fall aimed at ground staff, cabin crew and the travelling public.
The move comes in the wake of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada recommendation for mandated changes to ensure infants and children have “an equivalent level of safety compared to adults.”
In December 2012, a 6-month-old baby, who was being held by his mother, was killed when pilots of a small turboprop overshot the runway while trying to land in bad weather in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut.
Isaac Appaqaq had accompanied his mother on the flight from Winnipeg, where she had a medical appointment, because he was still breastfeeding.
The other six adult passengers including Isaac’s mother and two pilots, who were all secured by seatbelts, suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious.
“In some cases of severe turbulence, or a sudden deceleration, or an accident, parents simply can’t hang onto the baby, as hard as they might try,” said Kathy Fox, chair of the Transportation Safety Board, in July when the report was released.
“That’s why they need to be in a separate seat.”
Transport Canada said during fiscal 2016-17, it will initiate an in-depth examination to determine the best way to address the recommendation.
It emphasized it will take action to reduce the risk to which infants and young children are exposed when travelling by air, on all flights, whether they are between Canadian cities, in the remote north or on international carriers flying into Canada.”
If Transport Canada were to introduce new rules, it would mean every child, even those under 2, who are currently allowed to fly for free if held by parents in their arms, would need to have his or her own seat.
In August, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN agency that oversees civil aviation, also recommended the use of a child-restraint system in a dedicated seat appropriate for an infant or child.
An ICAO cabin safety group is meeting later this month to discuss determining acceptable systems and how governments will approve such devices.
“It’s only once these details have been agreed upon on an international basis that the question of whether or not an initial recommendation should become an international standard can be properly considered,” said ICAO spokesman Anthony Philbin.
Aspokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada declined to comment on Transport Canada’s responses, saying it will take up to 60 days to review them formally.