Airport Zoning

With a focus on achieving excellence in safety, efficiency and optimized land use, Vancouver Airport Authority / L'Administration de l’aéroport de Vancouver is always looking ahead as part of meeting both the short- and long-term needs of British Columbians.

Based on extensive studies and consultations with our Musqueam partners, community, and other stakeholders, we have identified locations for two future runway options. While an additional runway is not needed to accommodate short- to medium-term traffic demand, we need to protect our long-term ability to plan, construct, and operate a new runway in the future.

As a first step in protecting our options for a potential future runway, Vancouver Airport Authority / L'Administration de l’aéroport de Vancouver notified Transport Canada in 2017 of its intention to apply for new Airport Zoning Regulations (AZRs) to replace the current AZRs in place since 1981. This followed extensive work and the completion of various technical studies to determine the needed zoning requirements. 

The AZRs are federal regulations enabled under the Aeronautics Act that serve to limit the height of buildings and other structures around the airport to ensure safe aircraft operations. AZRs are in place to protect current aircraft operations, but also to ensure that future development near the airport remains compatible with plans for future runways.

Enactment of the new AZRs does not constitute approval to construct a new runway. Approval of a new runway would be subject to a rigorous environmental assessment and review process. This assessment would be undertaken in the future at the time when it is determined that an additional runway is needed to accommodate the growing demand of air traffic services at the airport.

Enactment of new AZRs follows a robust federally mandated process lead by Transport Canada, the regulator responsible for aviation in Canada. 

Transport Canada’s AZR process is open and transparent. The main stages include:

• Notification to Transport Canada by the airport operator of the intent to make amendments or create new AZRs.  COMPLETED
• Airport operator submits proposed AZR plan to Transport Canada. COMPLETED
• Transport Canada reviews and provides any preliminary feedback on the proposed AZR plan. COMPLETED
• Transport Canada hosts pre-consultations on the proposed AZR plan with an opportunity for stakeholders to provide comments. COMPLETED
• Transport Canada reviews the comments received and prepares to publish proposed AZRs in the Canada Gazette Part I. COMPLETED
• Proposed AZRs are published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, inviting comments – https://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2024/2024-04-20/html/reg3-eng.html COMPLETED
• Transport Canada review comments and prepares to enact the new AZRs and repeal the current AZR in place.