Is Vancouver's airport ready for its busiest summer yet?
With the FIFA World Cup now less than two weeks away, all of Vancouver seems to be gearing up for the massive event — including the Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
Not only is the airport sporting FIFA decor and a recently opened 2026 FIFA World Cup official merchandise retail store, but it has also been preparing for what could be its busiest summer yet.
After a record-breaking passenger volume last summer and a busy 2026 so far, “YVR continues to see healthy forward-looking demand,” said a YVR spokesperson.
They told Daily Hive that they are forecasting an approximate five to 10 per cent increase in passenger volumes during the FIFA event period, compared to the same time last year.
“The increase is driven in part by the FIFA World Cup 2026, along with a robust cruise season and typical peak‑season travel patterns,” the spokesperson said in an email to Daily Hive.
However, they said they won’t have final passenger counts until after the games are over.
Last summer, YVR experienced a number of flight delays due to resource constraints at Nav Canada, the country’s air traffic control provider. In the weekend before Canada Day, over 200 flights were delayed due to resource constraints.
However, the spokesperson said that YVR has been preparing for FIFA since June 2022, which has included making improvements to their facilities, creating a cross-functional team with experts in “facilitation, emergency management, baggage, maintenance, [and] communications,” as well as working with the federal agencies that operate at YVR and external partners like the Vancouver Host Committee.
“We are optimistic about the effectiveness of the resourcing initiatives they have put in place for FIFA as well as the broader summer travel season,” said the YVR spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Nav Canada has been working on a number of actions to prepare for the busy summer season.
This includes temporarily bringing back management staff with operational qualifications to frontline duties, rehiring 50 retired controllers, and strategically scheduling to ensure that there is peak-period coverage — it has restricted time-off-in-lieu during peak operational windows.
In a backgrounder, Nav Canada noted that the air trafficker controller staffing challenge is a global issue. While Canada has a gap of approximately 200, the U.S. is in need of 1,500.
“Vancouver remains a key area of focus. YVR is a high-complexity facility with unique demographic and airspace pressures, which is why we deployed a new state-of-the-art simulator, and are recruiting experienced controllers internationally to bridge near-term capacity. We have seen real progress in the Vancouver region while being clear that it requires continued attention,” said Maryam Amini, Nav Canada’s media relations manager, in a statement sent to Daily Hive.
Last year, Amini told Daily Hive that flight disruptions happen for a number of reasons, with weather being the most common. Other factors include “runway construction, infrastructure maintenance, surges in demand, and personnel resourcing.”
Nav Canada noted that it has a “proven track record of delivering safe and efficient services during periods of heightened demand and international events,” including the 2010 Winter Olympics.
In a media briefing on Summer 2026 operational readiness that Nav Canada held earlier this month, Marie-Pier Berman, vice president and chief of operations, noted that “the expectations on our system will be even higher,” due to “major international events hosted in Canada.”
“We take that seriously, and we have been preparing for it for well over a year,” she said.
“But let me be direct about one thing: no responsible organization can guarantee that there will be zero disruptions over the course of a summer. Delays are a reality of complex aviation systems and can result from a range of factors — whether the availability of airport infrastructure due to construction or maintenance, surges in demand, and system capacity — often in combination,” Berman said.
With files from Daily Hive staff