As of Tuesday, 6:30 a.m., more than 50 flights had already been canceled at Vancouver Airport. (New window) Shortly thereafter, the airport announced that it had suspended all air traffic.
The snowstorm and weather caused unprecedented impact, the airport authority said in a statement. This resulted in all flights being canceled overnight, it continues to have a significant impact on Tuesday morning and we expect cancellations and delays for the day and week ahead.
At 7:20 a.m., administration confirmed no flights would be leaving the airport to allow passengers to disembark planes and staff to busy clearing snow and ice covering the airfield and planes.
The Airport Authority asks the public not to enter the airport unless absolutely necessary.
Sleep on the asphalt
Several planes scheduled to depart Vancouver Airport with their passengers spent several hours, some all night, on the tarmac due to poor weather conditions.
Several planes and their passengers were parked on the tarmac at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for several hours and were unable to take off due to the snowstorm.
Photo: Radio Canada / Ben Nelms
It’s as much a psychological challenge as it is physical with fatigue, Jeff Bryant said. As of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, he had already spent more than 10 hours on the tarmac of his plane bound for Toronto.
Another couple from New Zealand said they were traveling with a baby and had no formula for their child after spending 11 hours on the tarmac.
Anne-Julie Têtu, weather presenter for Radio-Canada British Columbia, saw the chaos at the Vancouver airport first-hand when she was due to board a flight to Quebec.
There are people everywhere, people of all ages are sleeping on the floor, suitcases are everywhere, the line for the Skytrain is very, very long, the line to speak to someone is extremely long.
Avoid more chaos
The Airport Authority asks people not to enter the airport unless absolutely necessary and to check their flight status before moving.
While inside the airport the floors are littered with suitcases and exhausted passengers trying to sleep or asking for help, outside staff are busy clearing snow and ice that have blanketed the airfield and planes in anticipation of the resumption ensure safer flights.
Passengers transiting Vancouver Airport are not the only ones affected by a disruption to their travel plans.
Kelowna International Airport reports that 90% of its flights were affected by the unusual rainfall. Most of the flights scheduled for Tuesday morning will also be canceled at Victoria Airport.
impact across the country
The snow crippling transportation in southern British Columbia is impacting airports across the country, including Montreal-Trudeau, Ottawa and Toronto. Airport boards show a variety of delays.
Many flights to Vancouver have been canceled and travelers don’t yet know when they will arrive.
Six inches of snow fell overnight in the Vancouver area and nearly 10 inches on southern Vancouver Island. Environment Canada is forecasting another 5 to 10 inches of snow in most areas by the end of the day.
An intense cold wave also hits the province.