Large crowds and delays at YVR Airport during Canada Day long weekend (PHOTOS)

Crowding at Vancouver International Airport on July 2, 2018. (Chris Wren / Twitter)

There were huge crowds at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Monday from travellers returning from their Canada Day long-weekend getaways.

Photos posted to Twitter by Chris Wren, who had returned to Vancouver from a long-haul trip yesterday, show overcrowding at the terminal.

“What in the world is going on at YVR today?? Never seen lineups like this!” he wrote.

What in the world is going on at YVR today @yvrairport @CanBorder ?? Never seen lineups like this! #poorplanning #humancattle pic.twitter.com/s7vmimSW0j

— Chris Wren (@chriswrenegade) July 2, 2018

Vancouver International Airport crowding

Crowding at Vancouver International Airport on July 2, 2018. (Chris Wren / Twitter)

He continued: “The carousels are so jammed up with luggage they have stopped moving. Zero assistance for last 20 min. Absolutely terrible.”

@yvrairport the carousels are so jammed up with luggage they have stopped moving. Zero assistance for last 20 min. Absolutely terrible pic.twitter.com/7ocFCMDFF5

— Chris Wren (@chriswrenegade) July 2, 2018

Crowding at Vancouver International Airport on July 2, 2018. (Chris Wren / Twitter)

Altogether, it took Wren 90 minutes to get out of the terminal building after disembarking from his flight.

However, once he reached outside, there were also long lines for a taxi.

@yvrairport surprise surprise more lines once we get outside. Not reflecting well on our city today pic.twitter.com/EQP8rm05zj

— Chris Wren (@chriswrenegade) July 2, 2018

Crowding at Vancouver International Airport on July 2, 2018. (Chris Wren / Twitter)

It appears the issue stemmed from several large flights landing at the same time, and officials with YVR acknowledged this in a tweet.

“It’s definitely a busy day today at YVR,” reads the tweet. “Working with our partners to get passengers through as quickly and safely as we can. Lots of work underway to help us manage expected passenger growth.”

It’s definitely a busy day today at YVR. Working with our partners to get passengers through as quickly and safely as we can. Lots of work underway to help us manage expected passenger growth. Appreciate you letting us know and for your patience. Enjoy the rest of your day.

— Vancouver Airport (@yvrairport) July 2, 2018

Of course, YVR has been experiencing extraordinary consecutive year-over-year record growth, and the passenger volumes streaming through will likely exceed the terminal building’s design capacity of 25 million passengers per year starting in 2018.

YVR saw 24.3 million passengers in 2017, up from 22.3 million in 2016 and 17.6 million in 2012. Higher overall growth also means a corresponding surge in passenger volumes during peak travel periods throughout the year, such as Canada Day, Labour Day, and Christmas.

Passenger traffic at YVR is forecast to soar to 29 million passengers by 2020, and then 31 million by 2022 – the exact same traffic levels Toronto Pearson International Airport experienced earlier in the decade.

YVR plans to meet this demand by significantly expanding its terminal building as part of a 20-year-long, $9.1-billion improvement project. Pier D, the first terminal expansion project, will add eight gates by 2020/2021, and this will be followed by the construction of Pier F as an eastward expansion of the transborder wing.

Diagram of Vancouver International Airport’s planned ‘central’ terminal building expansion. (Vancouver Airport Authority)

Artistic rendering of Vancouver International Airport’s Pier D terminal building expansion. (Vancouver Airport Authority)

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