CARs 602.122, 602.123 and 602.129; TC AIM RAC 3.13 and 9.19.2.1
When Does the Approach Ban Apply in Canada?
The approach ban (CARs 602.129): if a reported RVR below 1,200 ft on RVR "A", or below 600 ft on RVR "B", reaches you before the FAF inbound, you may not continue the approach. Alternate minima (CARs 602.123): you may file an alternate only if its forecast at your ETA meets the Canada Air Pilot minima, such as 600-2 with one precision approach.
Two decisions, at two different moments
Candidates lose marks by blending two separate IFR rules into one.
| Approach ban | Alternate minima | |
|---|---|---|
| The question | May I continue this approach? | May I name this aerodrome as my alternate? |
| When you decide | On the approach, when an RVR report arrives | At planning, before you file |
| What decides it | The reported RVR, and where you are | The forecast at the alternate at your ETA |
| The rule | CARs 602.129 | CARs 602.122 and 602.123, with the CAP |
The ban never looks at a forecast, and the alternate rule never looks at RVR.
The approach ban: where it bites
For a general aviation aeroplane (CARs 602.129 does not apply to Part VII operators, who have their own ban), the ban is triggered by a reported RVR, never by a height:
- With both RVR "A" and RVR "B": below 1,200 ft on "A" or below 600 ft on "B".
- With only one of them: below 1,200 ft.
If that report reaches you before the FAF inbound (or, with no FAF, before the point where the final approach course is intercepted), you may not continue. Received after that point, you continue to DA or MDA. The rule names the FAF, not the outer marker or any other beacon: an answer built on the outer marker is wrong under the current rule.
If the RVR goes below minimum after you begin the approach but before the FAF, continue as cleared, tell ATC your intentions and ask for a further clearance. If none comes by the FAF, fly the missed approach (TC AIM RAC 9.19.2.1).
“(a) where the RVR is measured by RVR “A” and RVR “B”, the RVR measured by RVR “A” for the runway of intended approach is less than 1,200 feet or the RVR measured by RVR “B” for the runway of intended approach is less than 600 feet; or (b) where the RVR is measured by only one of RVR “A” and RVR “B”, the RVR for the runway of intended approach is less than 1,200 feet.”
“Where the RVR is reported to be less than the minimum RVR set out in subsection (2) or (3), as applicable, no person shall continue an instrument approach in an IFR aircraft unless (a) at the time the RVR report is received, the aircraft has passed the FAF inbound or, where there is no FAF, the point where the final approach course is intercepted; (b) the aircraft is on a training flight where a landing is not intended and the appropriate air traffic control unit is informed that a missed approach procedure will be initiated at or above the decision height or minimum descent altitude, as appropriate; (c) the RVR is varying between distances less than and greater than the minimum RVR; (d) the RVR is less than the minimum RVR, and the ground visibility at the aerodrome where the runway is located is reported to be at least one quarter of a mile; or (e) the pilot-in-command of the aircraft is conducting a precision approach to CAT III minima.”
Below minimum (RVR A 1,200 ft / RVR B 600 ft) before the FAF inbound: do not continue the approach (602.129(4)).
When there is no ban
Read the five exceptions in 602.129(4) as five ways to keep going: past the FAF inbound, a training flight with a planned missed approach and ATC told, a varying RVR, ground visibility of at least ¼ mile, or a CAT III approach.
Two more cases have no ban at all:
- No RVR reported. The general aviation ban turns on RVR, so with none there is no criterion to impose it (TC AIM RAC 9.19.2.1).
- RVR at or above the minimum, whatever the ground visibility.
What the ban never allows: starting a non-precision approach, an APV, or a CAT I or CAT II approach to an airport where low-visibility procedures are in effect (CARs 602.129(5)).
“No pilot-in-command of an IFR aircraft shall commence a non-precision approach, an APV or a CAT I or CAT II precision approach to an airport where low-visibility procedures are in effect.”
Alternate minima: what your alternate must offer
Every IFR flight plan in Canada names an alternate, unless an air operator certificate or a special authorization says otherwise (CARs 602.122). There is no weather trigger for filing one. The weather test is applied to the alternate itself: its forecast at your ETA must be at or above the alternate minima in the Canada Air Pilot (CARs 602.123).
The CAP GEN table, as TC AIM RAC 3.13.1 reproduces it (Table 3.7):
| Facilities at the alternate | Forecast must be at least |
|---|---|
| Two or more usable precision approaches, each with straight-in minima to separate suitable runways | 400-1, or 200-½ above the lowest usable HAT and visibility, whichever is greater |
| One usable precision approach | 600-2, or 300-1 above the lowest usable HAT and visibility, whichever is greater |
| Non-precision only | 800-2, or 300-1 above the lowest usable HAT/HAA and visibility, whichever is greater |
| No IFR approach | No lower than 500 ft above a minimum IFR altitude that will permit a VFR approach and landing |
600-2 and 800-2 are the standard alternate minima. Where the standard applies, 700-1½ or 800-1 may be used for 600-2, and 900-1½ or 1000-1 for 800-2 (Table 3.8). The table assumes the alternate has a TAF.
Practice example (invented figures). An alternate with one usable precision approach whose lowest usable HAT is 200 ft and visibility ½ SM: 300-1 above it gives 500-1½, so the greater, 600-2, applies. With a lowest usable HAT of 450 ft and 1 SM, 300-1 above gives 750-2, which is greater than 600-2, so 750-2 applies.
“No pilot-in-command of an aircraft shall include an alternate aerodrome in an IFR flight plan or IFR flight itinerary unless available weather information indicates that the ceiling and visibility at the alternate aerodrome will, at the expected time of arrival, be at or above the alternate aerodrome weather minima specified in the Canada Air Pilot.”
BECMG, TEMPO and PROB in the alternate's TAF
A TAF with change groups can still qualify an alternate (TC AIM RAC 3.13):
- BECMG, improving: count it only from the end of its period.
- BECMG, deteriorating: count it from the start of its period.
- TEMPO: must not be below the published alternate minima.
- PROB: must not be below the landing minima. That is a lower bar than alternate minima, and a favourite trap.
“(c) the forecast TEMPO condition shall not be below the published alternate minima requirements for that aerodrome; and (d) the forecast PROB condition shall not be below the appropriate landing minima for that aerodrome.”
Where candidates lose marks
- The trigger is a position, not a height. The ban turns on the FAF inbound, or final approach course intercept where there is no FAF.
- RVR "B" is 600 ft only when "A" is also measured. With "B" alone, the limit is 1,200 ft.
- ¼ mile ground visibility lets a general aviation aeroplane continue despite a below-minimum RVR.
- No RVR, no ban for general aviation.
- Every IFR flight plan names an alternate in Canada. The weather test is on the alternate, not the destination.
- "Whichever is greater." Work both lines of the minima and use the higher.
- PROB is checked against landing minima, TEMPO against alternate minima.
Keep practising free
Retaking the INRAT after losing marks on IFR planning? These two rules are worth learning cold, and three steps cover them:
- Learn the ban's trigger and its five exceptions, then work the figure above until it never surprises you.
- Answer the four questions below, then one a day with the free Question of the Day.
- Before your next ground session, work the alternate minima for two real alternates on your training routes, from the current CAP. Your instructor can check the HAT you used.
The exact minima for a given aerodrome come from its CAP approach charts and the current CAP GEN, which NAV CANADA updates every 56 days. Use the current issue, not a summary.
- What the INRAT covers, and how it is marked: the instrument rating exam guide.
- Reading the forecast that decides your alternate starts with the GFA: How to read a GFA.
- VFR weather minima are a different rule, for a different flight: VFR weather minima.
Practice
Original questions in the style of the Transport Canada written exams. Tap an answer to see why it is right or wrong.
Question 1 of 4
An IFR approach has no final approach fix. Under CARs 602.129, at what point does a below-minimum RVR report stop applying the ban?
Tap an answer to check it.
Question 2 of 4
Before the FAF inbound in a private aeroplane, ATC reports: RVR "A" not available, RVR "B" 1,000 ft. No ground visibility is reported. May you continue the approach?
Tap an answer to check it.
Question 3 of 4
Your alternate has one usable precision approach, with a lowest usable HAT of 200 ft and visibility of ½ SM. What alternate minima apply?
Tap an answer to check it.
Question 4 of 4
Your alternate's TAF carries a PROB30 group for your ETA. Against what is the PROB condition checked?
Tap an answer to check it.
Taught in
- IFR › Instrument ApproachesApproach Ban — CARs 602.129 · Instrument Rating course
- IFR › IFR RegulationsAlternate Aerodrome Requirements (CARs 602.122 and 602.123) · Instrument Rating course
Each chapter goes further than this page, and ends with a quiz.
Other topics
Checked 28 October 2026. CARs 602.122, 602.123 and 602.129 quoted from SOR/96-433 as consolidated to 17 June 2026 (Justice Laws Website, current to 30 September 2026). TC AIM RAC 3.13, RAC 3.13.1 (Tables 3.7 and 3.8) and RAC 9.19.2.1 checked against TC AIM, October 1, 2026. The alternate minima table checked against CAP GEN effective 19 March 2026 (alternate page dated 24 March 2022). TC Exam Prep is independent and not affiliated with Transport Canada.