About

About us

The Québec Airports Council (QAC) is a dynamic organization regrouping and providing specialized services to a great majority of airports in Québec.

Our Vision

QAC: an impact organization and a network of value added services for its members.

Action Plan for 2011-2012

By a continuous promotion of airports’ interests, by networking and consultation with all stakeholders and by achieving concrete initiatives, QAC intends to help its members find solutions to actual challenges: insure an effective operation of their business; promote the viability and development of airports; promote safety and security, while defending reasonable regulations by governments;

Our vision can be expressed as follows:

Results are at the center of our priorities;
Provide high quality services to airport managers;
Immediate sharing of news and relevant information;
Real progress in main issues :

Funding of infrastructure projects for small airports;
Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP);
Safety Management System (SMS);
Draft regulation on Airport security;
TP-312 Manual version 5;
Other draft regulations;
Watchdog, analysis and representation in favour of reasonnable regulations;
Immediate sharing of important information to members, and sharing of knowledge and expertise, via a dynamic Internet portal;

Mission

Represent, regroup and provide effective services to our members throughout Québec in order to contribute to airport viability, development and security.

Objectives and priorities

Gather the airport community in Québec : airports, suppliers, consultants, organizations, experts, Québec Transport Department and Transport Canada;
Submit, support, defend and shake airport issues vis-à-vis governments and other instances;
Play a role of watchdog, analysis and recommendations for reasonable regulations: security, SMS, TP-312 Manual, etc.;
Organize necessary representation for the continuation and improvement of government financial assistance programs: ACAP, funding of small airports, creation of new programs, etc.;
Stimulate exchanges and sharing of expertise: provide advice, information and experts;
Pursue the improvement of the Internet portal: exchange of information, continuous transmission of news and an information library for operators;
Establish partnerships, and stimulate cooperation for a better impact: Canadian Airports Council (CAC), Regional community airports coalition of Canada (RCACC), Airport Management Council of Ontario (AMCO), Association Québécoise du transport aérien (AQTA), Québec Department of Transport (MTQ), Transport Canada and the Québec Consultation Forum on air transportation.

As a member of QAC, what can we do for you?

Include your airport, or your airport related company, in a strong and proactive organization, established ten years ago, and based on cooperation, expertise, quality services, and regrouping the vast majority of airports and stakeholders in the province of Québec.

QAC has increased its membership by 80% since 2008.
Give you a strong impact, in order to be well represented and defended, to promote your ideas and needs, and effectively move forward your projects with governments;

QAC has contributed to many realizations in funding and regulation matters.
Benefit from efficient projects and initiatives to help you better face major challenges caused by growing regulation, and effective management of airports activities;

QAC has set up a great number of projects, such as custom-made training on SMS, and others.
Provide you with direct support, on matters such as advice, expertise, sharing of information, in order to better manage the complexity of all airport activities;
- Keep you informed, on a continuous basis, on news and issues in the Québec airports business, and on new activities concerning technical matters and regulations;
  
  QAC Internet portal is an up-to-date site, consulted by more than 30,000 visitors over the past three years, which broadcasts, on a continuous basis, daily news on topics which are essential for members;
- Obtain recognition as an associate member as a quality resource, whether you are a service company, a consultant, or a supplier for airports, showing solidarity with issues and challenges facing the airports community in Québec;
  
  QAC includes as associate members, companies of high quality, expertise and experience, all recognized by QAC, and which are in great demand by airport operators.

Some QAC achievements

Custom-made training on Safety Management System (SMS) provided to 75 airport operators in 2008; setting up of a highly specialized team of experts;
Five training sessions provided in regions in 2009 by the team of experts in order to facilitate the implementation of phases 1 and 2 of SMS;
Negotiations with consultants for dedicated services to many airports, in order to complete phase 2 of SMS;
The QAC bilingual Internet portal has received more than 15,000 visitors since its creation in October 2008. The WEB 2.0 site posts approximately one hundred News bulletins per year, on important topics for members;
The portal Information Library contains more than 100 topics for members, easy to understand, and updated links containing essential information to help airport managers;
QAC provides, since 2009, direct assistance to more than 10 municipalities and small airport operators in their infrastructure financial assistance demands; two of those projects, in Maniwaki and La Sarre, have been approved so far, and proactive efforts are continuing;
QAC pursues its efforts for an improvement of Transport Canada’s ACAP program, in partnership with all other Canadian associations;
QAC, which has celebrated its 10^th anniversary in 2010, will organize its 2011 annual conference in Rouyn-Noranda. In 2010, the conference in Saint-Georges-de-Beauce gathered 121 participants. This conference, including 18 presentations made on major issues, had a real impact;
QAC is examining closely new proposed regulations, in particular the proposed regulation on security, for which QAC has made numerous representations to obtain a less complex regulation, and also the new TP-312 Manual;
QAC is also, since 2011, one of the three co-chairs, with the Québec Department of Transport Associate Minister, Mr Norman MacMillan, and the President of AQTA, of the new Consultation forum on air transportation. This new initiative, gathers around the same table, all major industry stakeholders, in order to set up concrete measures and stimulate industry’s development.

QAC is offering to its members a complete library of all information relevant to airport management. QAC also provides expertise, personalized advice and references.