NAV CANADA partners with Micro Nav to modernize how it trains air traffic services professionals
NAV CANADA has signed a multi‑year framework agreement with UK‑based Micro Nav Limited, part of the Indra Group, to deploy the firm’s BEST air traffic control simulation platform across its national training network.
The partnership is a key element of the company’s Operational Training Modernization Program, which is focused on creating a consolidated, next‑generation simulation environment to support the current and future generations of air traffic services professionals. The platform will be used to train flight service specialists and air traffic controllers working in tower, terminal, enroute and oceanic operations.
New platform powers nationwide training overhaul
“As the world’s second‑largest air navigation service provider, we rely very heavily on simulation as part of our training,” said David Sheppard, Vice President and Chief Technology and Information Officer at NAV CANADA. “A key part of that is making sure that they’ve got the tools necessary to do the training in simulators before we put them on an actual airport to do this live training.”
Training is delivered through seven regional centres and supports operations at airports and in airspace across Canada. The new platform is designed to eventually support simultaneous training for more than 270 enroute and approach controllers nationwide, and to modernize simulation capabilities at towers, flight service stations and area control centres.
Modern simulators for a growing, changing workforce
Sheppard says the move to BEST reflects both the age of the existing simulators and the pressure NAV CANADA faces to train and qualify more people, faster, without compromising safety.
“With air traffic control, we have almost the same number of people that end up going through a training program that we end up having doing the job,” he said. “These new simulators are leveraging some more cutting‑edge technologies. They’re a little easier to maintain and configure and set up for our employees, and they provide more high fidelity or allow us to do more data‑driven simulation.”
The organization is still rebuilding from post‑COVID traffic declines, but flight volumes have rebounded sooner and faster than expected. At the same time, aviation demand continues to grow and the company is managing elevated attrition as experienced staff retire. As a result, NAV CANADA is hiring at some of the highest levels in its history.
To respond, Sheppard says the organization has examined “pretty much every aspect” of its training journey, from processes and technology to procedures, looking for ways to move more students through the system while still producing professionals with the skills and competencies required for safe operations. Simulation, he notes, is central to that effort, not only for new recruits but also for refresher training for existing personnel.
Safety, technology and the next generation of controllers
For NAV CANADA, simulation is fundamentally a safety tool. High‑fidelity environments allow trainees to experience realistic traffic, weather and operational scenarios before they interact with live aircraft and passengers.
“For any safety‑sensitive organization, training is a vital part of making sure that the services being provided are being done in the safest manner possible,” Sheppard said. “Technology can really help enable that training journey and make it much more effective and efficient and more realistic so that when people are in the jobs, they can rely on a very rigorous training program supported by the latest tools and capabilities.”
Micro Nav’s BEST platform offers integrated tower, approach and en‑route simulation, high‑fidelity 3D tower visualizations, and AI‑enabled speech recognition. It also includes advanced performance analytics through BEST Insights, and is designed to support a range of flexible training configurations while allowing NAV CANADA to retain control over data and system configuration.
In announcing the agreement, Sheppard described the selection of BEST as “a key step in modernizing our training infrastructure nationwide,” calling it “a scalable, resilient foundation” for the company’s long‑term training modernization goals. Diana Kelly, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, framed the move as part of NAV CANADA’s commitment to developing and empowering the next generation of air traffic services professionals, saying modern simulation will reshape how students learn and how instructors collaborate and meet emerging challenges.
Sheppard also points to broader changes underway in aviation technology. As NAV CANADA upgrades its operational systems, training must keep pace. The new simulation platform, he suggests, is not just about today’s hiring surge, but about building a training ecosystem that can adapt quickly as the technology and airspace it supports continue to evolve.
