Airport Watch
In and around our small airports, be our eyes and ears! Help us protect you. Report suspicious activities by calling 1-800-771-5401.
Signs – How to recognize suspicious activities in airports
Profile of a suspicious aircraft
- Flying without appropriate lights or landing after normal hours
- Windows covered in paper or tape so you can't see inside
- Removed or altered registration numbers ("CF" and "CG" indicate Canadian and "N" indicates US)
- Modified so it can carry a heavier load
- Seats, etc., may be cleaned out of aircraft to allow for extra fuel or freight capacity
- Plane sitting tail down when extra heavy
- Door hinges changed to allow easier unloading of freight
Profile of a suspicious pilot
- Seldom talks of flights taken. May seem anxious to resume flight while plane is being serviced
- Reluctant to provide ID (e.g. pilot's licence, medical certificates, aircraft records, etc.)
- Reluctant to allow others in or around aircraft
- Operates expensive aircraft with no apparent means of affording it and/or no regular schedule
- Rents hangar for one month at a time, pays cash, and uses out-of-province (or US) address, or post office box number
- Generally pays cash for aviation services (fuel, etc.) and requires no receipts
Suspicious activities
- Landing on rural runways, fields or lakes
- Landing on a hidden runway after normal hours
- Landing using runway markers (strobe lights, hand lanterns, flares, temporary markers, etc.) that may be left behind
- Being met by persons and vehicles
- No flight plan. Flight plans must be made for all flights. Within Canada, they can be filed with family members, friends or airports. Transborder flight plans must be filed with local international airports. Arrangements must be made for Canada Customs officials to meet the plane, and planes can only fly into airports serviced by Canada Customs
- Inadequate or missing documents for aircraft (e.g. registration, modifications, safety, etc.)
- Lack of maps or charts showing most recently declared flight path
- Presence of maps and charts from source and trans-shipment countries
If it's suspicious, report it. Contact us
Do not approach suspicious individuals or ask them questions.
Report any suspicious activity by calling: 1-800-771-5401.
Give any information you have on:
- aircraft (description, size, colour, flag, location, etc.)
- suspicious individual(s)
- licence numbers, visible markings, registration details
- the nature of activities you have observed
- times and dates of occurrences
Your observations, judgment and knowledge of the area are very useful. If something seems suspicious or abnormal, let us know.
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