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Civil Aviation Contingency Operations (CACO)

Civil Aviation Contingency Operations (CACO) Division, has national responsibilities for coordination of operational response, contingency planning, exercises and training. CACO is the Civil Aviation focal point for all emergency preparedness activities.

To learn more about us, check out our roles and responsibilities and our day-to-day operations.

Contact Us (Voice): 1-613-947-5140
0800 - 1600 Monday to Friday
excluding statutory holidays

Our 24/7 Emergency Numbers (toll free) are: 
Voice: 1-877-992-6853  
Fax:  1-866-993-7768

Roles and Responsibilities

CACO has the following roles and responsibilities with regard to Aviation Operations and Emergency Preparedness:

• Managing and operating a 24 hour/day Aviation Operations Centre including a reporting system involving the tracking of aviation related incidents, accidents and high profile events for the purpose of keeping senior managers appraised of operations in the National Civil Air Transportation System (NCATS) and where applicable, triggering operational responses and activations of the Transport Canada Situation Centre (TCSC) and Regional Transport Canada Situation Centres (RTCSCs);
• Developing, maintaining and implementing contingency plans for use by Headquarters and Regional personnel;
• Developing, conducting and evaluating aviation exercises and participating in multi-modal, national and international exercises as required to comply with the Emergency Preparedness Act; and
• Developing and conducting training to ensure Civil Aviation staff preparedness.

Day-to-day Operations:

• Focal point for operational communications with NAV CANADA
• Daily monitoring of the NCATS including the Air Navigation System, radars, navigation aids, Air Traffic Control, and all Canadian Certified Airports;
• Providing 24/7 operational response capability to support Canadian Aviation operations whether in the NCATS or during operations abroad;
• Providing advice to NAV CANADA and Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on a 24/7 basis regarding approval for overflight and landing authorization of foreign aircraft;
• Responding to occurrences in the NCATS (accidents, in-flight emergencies, reduced air navigation services or airport operations, etc.);
• Coordinating acitvities related to space launch or space junk re-entry;
• Coordinating activities related to VIP visits;
• Supporting other directorates who activate the TCSC by providing aviation specialists;
• Supporting NASA during shuttle launches;
• Supporting external agencies in coordinating special airspace requirements and restrictions;
• Supporting Public Safety Canada (PSC) in accordance with the Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP);
• Communicating with other Federal Departments and agencies to mitigate the effects of and emergency situation;
• Coordinating civil aviation activities with foreign governments and agencies, international authorities and the aviation industry;
• Provision of Canadian input and advice to the NATO Civil Aviation Planning Committee;
• Contingency planning on behalf of civil aviation on a wide range of contingencies such as natural disasters, aviation events, security events and labour disputes;
• Planning, conducting and evaluating aviation exercises with specific government and/or foreign departments;
• Conducting training and developing procedures for duty officers and augmentees to effectively conduct 24/7 operations in CACO and/or the TCSC; and
• Participating in departmental activities related to emergency preparedness, planning, exercises and training.

Date modified:

2011-09-25

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