Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is warning travellers about possible flight delays and cancellations due to an issue with overnight work.
A YVR spokesperson told V.I.A. that crews couldn't complete overnight paving work on its north runway to allow for re-opening in the morning due to an "unforeseen equipment issue" with its asphalt supplier.
"While our teams work to find a solution, YVR will be operating exclusively using our south runway today. This is resulting in flight delays, and we have seen a small number of cancellations," they explained.
YVR's team will be in the terminal to assist passengers. Travellers are advised to check with their airline or with YVR online for potential flight schedule impacts.
FlightAware's online flight tracker indicates YVR is experiencing inbound flights delayed at their origin, an average of an hour and 23 minutes.
According to YVR's departures page, 24 flights are delayed and nine are cancelled. However, the airport doesn't specify the cause of delays or cancellations.
The airport's arrivals page shows a staggering 67 delays and 10 cancellations.
Nav Canada implements TMI to facilitate safety at YVR
Nav Canada spokesperson Maryam Amini told V.I.A. that a temporary Traffic Management Initiative (TMI) was implemented at the airport on Friday due to the runway work.
"Our team is working actively to keep air traffic moving safely and as efficiently as possible and minimize the impact of the TMI," she said.
"We also encourage passengers to contact their airlines for the status of their flights."
Nav Canada is Canada’s air navigation service provider, keeping the skies safe for the travelling public.
When the number of aircraft at a part of the airport exceeds capacity, air traffic controllers space out flights to "keep it manageable," most often reducing or "metering" the number of aircraft. In these instances, delays are necessary to maintain the safety of staff and travellers, Nav Canada explains on its website.
Nav Canada air traffic controller shortages have plagued YVR with flight delays and cancellations through April and May. However, the air navigation service provider confirms personnel shortages were not a reason for Friday's airport issue.
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