Air traffic control delays at YVR frustrate travellers and raise compensation questions
Many passengers with flights arriving or departing from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) faced delays on Tuesday because there weren’t enough air traffic controllers to keep things flowing smoothly.
Nav Canada, the agency that employs air traffic controllers, first alerted the public delays Tuesday afternoon. Jonathan Bagg, director of stakeholder and industry relations, told Daily Hive that a temporary Traffic Management Initiative (TMI), to reduce the number of aircraft in an airspace to maintain safety, was enacted because of personnel resource constraints.
The TMI remains in place at YVR.
“While we strive to minimize their use, TMIs are help maintain a safe flow of traffic and ensure the quantity of aircraft in a given airspace or airport remains manageable,” Bagg said. “Our team is working actively to keep air traffic moving safely and as efficiently as possible.”
He added he regrets the impact it has had on the travelling public, and encouraged passengers to check Nav Canada’s Operations account on X for the latest updates.
Delays affecting some flights in YVR due to NAV CANADA resource constraints. Our team is moving aircraft safely, and as quickly as possible. Passengers: check the status of your flight with your airline.
— NAV CANADA Operations (@navcanadaops) April 16, 2025
One reader travelling from Ottawa to Kelowna was first rerouted to YVR after they missed their connecting flight in Toronto. But they ended up sitting in the Vancouver airport for hours, making it to Kelowna more than 13 hours after their scheduled arrival time.
Another traveller, Gabby Hillier, had to wait on the runway in Edmonton for space to clear at the Vancouver airport.
Sue Pontifex waited on the runway at LAX before taking off — and questioned whether runway paving in Vancouver also contributed to delays. A YVR spokesperson said Tuesday’s delays were not connected to upgrades to the airport’s north runway, where work is being done during off-peak hours between 10 pm and 7 am.
Travellers wrote in to Daily Hive, disappointed at a lack of compensation in the form of meal vouchers or cash, as they waited to reach their destinations.
“Because [my sister] was delayed, I bought her a lounge pass (thank goodness!!),” Carolyn Azar said. “No food vouchers or anything.”
Vancouver International Airport said Wednesday that Nav Canada hasn’t provided a time frame for when the staffing constraints will be addressed.
“Nav Canada has indicated that air travel across the region, including at YVR, will continue to be impacted by staffing resource constraints,” the YVR spokesperson said.
The unplanned absences at Nav Canada forced it to reduce departures and arrivals — only operating off one of YVR’s two runways, the airport added.
Passengers may continue to experience delays and should contact their airline directly for rebooking options, YVR said.
“We recognize the inconvenience that can be caused by changes to flight schedules,” the spokesperson said.
Compensation could hinge on whether the staffing crunch was expected
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Air passenger rights advocate Gábor Lukács said the issue of compensation may hinge on how far in advance airlines knew about Nav Canada’s challenges.
“If the airlines knew about it in advance and they failed to reduce sales/flights in advance, then the airlines could be held liable for APPR compensation,” he said.
But if Nav Canada’s resourcing challenges were sudden or unexpected, it would likely fall outside the carrier’s control, and they wouldn’t owe passengers compensation, Lukács said.
WestJet confirmed several of its flights were impacted by short staffing at Nav Canada. A spokesperson, however, did not answer questions about whether passengers would be compensated and instead pointed us to their webpage outlining flight delays and cancellations in general.
Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, has not responded to Daily Hive’s request for comment.
Were you impacted by Tuesday’s delays? Email us at vancouver@dailyhive.com.