Vancouver International Airport operations return closer to normal

Snow and ice impacting operations at Vancouver International Airport, December 2022. (Vancouver International Airport)

Operations at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) have caught up from the unprecedented logistical breakdown due to the heavy snowfall over the period leading up to Christmas.

YVR reported it is operating 97% of originally scheduled flights today, marking the fourth consecutive day it has operated 97% or higher of originally scheduled flights.

Today, it is expected to see about 65,000 passengers with a total of 634 planned flights.

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Flight delays and cancellations currently experienced at YVR are in part due to the ongoing impacts of winter storms in other parts of Canada and the United States. As of the time of writing, most flights arriving and leaving YVR today are delayed.

YVR came to nearly a standstill December 20 through December 21 after snowfall overwhelmed the airport’s ability to keep the tarmac and runway clear of snow and ice, and the prompt deicing of aircraft. The airport resorted to implementing a two-day ban on international arrivals to reduce the congestion of parked aircraft on the tarmac.

vancouver international airport snow winter yvr

Snow and ice impacting operations at Vancouver International Airport, December 2022. (Vancouver International Airport)

With immobilized operational vehicles and jet bridges frozen, there were reports of passengers being stuck on aircraft parked on the tarmac for as long as 11 hours. YVR CEO Tamara Vrooman later admitted such long waits on an aircraft were “totally unacceptable.”

To assist the many passengers who found themselves trapped at YVR, the airport partnered with the Canadian Red Cross to establish a “comfort area” in Level 3 Departures near the US Transborder check-in, with cots, blankets, hygiene kits, and other supplies for travellers who need to remain at the airport. The gravity of the situation was so immense that over the first four days of the operational disruptions at YVR, more than 10,000 snacks, 15,000 water bottles, and 1,500 blankets were handed out.

“Comfort area” set up by the Canadian Red Cross at Vancouver International Airport during the December 2022 winter storm disruptions. (Vancouver International Airport)

Crowds inside the terminal building at Vancouver International Airport during the December 2022 snow disruptions. (Vancouver International Airport)

Between December 23 and 27, YVR also provided access to over 400 hotel rooms to out-of-town passengers for free for up to four nights while they wait for their next flight, along with restaurant gift cards.

Prior to the pre-Christmas snowstorm, YVR was projecting an average of about 64,511 passengers daily for a total of 903,150 passengers over the two-week holiday travel period through January 1. Over the same period in 2019, the airport recorded an average of 72,179 passengers per day for a total of 1.01 million. The volumes for 2022’s holiday season are considerably higher than the same period in 2021 when YVR saw an average of 38,698 per day for a total of 541,775 passengers.

YVR is expected to see a total of more than 17 million passengers in 2022 — up from 7.3 million passengers in 2020 and 7.1 million passengers in 2021, but still well below the all-time record of 26.4 million passengers in 2019. The airport is expecting 22 million passengers in 2023.

Over the past year, YVR and other airports in Canada and elsewhere in the world, as well as airlines, have been experiencing logistical issues resulting in delays and a deteriorating customer service experience due to ongoing immense labour shortage issues. Global aviation demand has recovered far more quickly than originally anticipated due to pent-up travel demand.

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