Air Operator Designators and Call Signs

• Air operator designators are only approved for use by Canadian air operators with a valid (Air or Private) Operating Certificate (i.e. CAR 604 or Part VII) or for the purpose of providing Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) services.
• The same designator will not be registered for, or used by, more than one aircraft operating agency, aeronautical authority or service.
• No more than one designator or call sign will be registered for, or used by, each air operator, aeronautical authority or service.
• When a designator is no longer required, NAV CANADA should be informed immediately. Any such designator so released will not be reassigned for at least 60 days.

• The call sign should resemble the name of the aircraft operator or its function and be distinct and dissimilar from any other already assigned.
• In order to reduce the length of transmission the call sign should be brief, comprising if possible of one word of two or three syllables. It should not exceed two words.
• Air operator designators may not be used in phonetic form as call signs, however, those of long standing may be retained provided an acceptable alphabetical representation is used (e.g. KLM or KAY DEE).
• Call signs that represent aircraft manufacturers or types may not be used.
• Designators ending in “I”, “O” and “Z” are to be avoided due to potential confusion with the numbers “1”, “0” and “2”.

In the selection of the flight number the following is recommended:

• Flight numbers should be kept as short as possible and usually be limited to three figures; keeping in mind the entire flight ID must be less than 7 alphanumeric digits.
• Flight numbers should be selected bearing in mind the flight numbers already in use by other operating agencies in the intended control environments.
• When practicable flight numbers other than those ending in a zero or five should be used.

Flight numbers used by Canadian air operators are not subject to approval. However, for flight planning purposes, the flight identifier, including the designator, must be a minimum of three and a maximum of seven characters.

• The requested call sign
• The name and address of the company
• The name and contact information of a person authorized to represent the company
• A list of the fleet the company operates including the aircraft type and civil aircraft registrations (NAV CANADA will use this information to verify flight activity)
• A business case stating the operational need for a designator
• A complete copy of the Private or Air Operating Certificate issued by Transport Canada, or a legal corporate document if only applying for an AFTN address
• A copy of their flight schedule or flight log indicating the average number of flights per week. As a guideline, NAV CANADA will consider operators with a minimum number of 20 flights per week.