TRU Law students get behind-the-scenes look at Kamloops Airport
On March 24, students from the TRU Faculty of Law’s Air and Space Law course toured Kamloops Airport for a behind-the-scenes look at how a busy regional airport operates.
The visit, kindly coordinated by the Kamloops Airport operations team, took the class through operational areas not typically accessible to the public. Topics covered ranged from commercial airline operations and airport management to aircraft rescue and firefighting services, emergency response coordination, security, and drone operations. The tour drew engaged discussion, with Kamloops Airport operations coordinator Ethan Caljouw noting the quality of questions from the students.
Third-year law student Taylor Dotto said airport tour made the course material feel much more concrete.
“It was really interesting to see how airport operations run day-to-day, especially with such a small team managing a busy regional airport,” said Dotto.
“What stood out to me was the range of work involved, from the technology behind boarding times and baggage displays to the development and implementation of emergency response systems. It was also fascinating to see how areas like operations, safety and security all have to work together in real time. It really highlighted how much coordination and behind-the-scenes decision-making go into things that most passengers never have to think about.”
Air and Space Law is a new course taught by Jack Wright Nelson, assistant professor in the Faculty of Law. The course examines the domestic and international legal frameworks governing aviation and outer space activities. The Kamloops Airport visit is part of a broader effort to connect classroom material with the operational realities those rules are designed to govern. Earlier this semester, the class also hosted a presentation from the Canadian Space Agency’s Legal Services unit.
“Effective lawyers don’t just understand the law: they also understand the broader context in which their clients operate. Thanks to Kamloops Airport, TRU students were able to see how the regulatory frameworks that they have been studying work in practice,” said Nelson.