Flight delays at Vancouver airport ahead of B.C. Day long weekend

The Vancouver International Airport is seen in this photo from social media. (Twitter / Vancouver Airport)

People travelling into or out of Vancouver International Airport Thursday evening are being advised to check the status of their flight, as delays are impacting dozens of arrivals and departures.

The delays are due to “resource contracts” with air traffic controllers, according to NAV Canada.

“Our team is moving aircraft safely, and as quickly as possible. Passengers: check the status of your flight with your airline,” an online statement said.

YVR also posted on social media encouraging would-be travellers to check their flight status.

According to the arrivals page on the airport’s website, 75 flights between 3 p.m. and midnight were impacted. For departures, roughly two dozen were seeing delays in the same time period.

The disruption comes as the airport prepares for more than 350,000 travellers over the B.C. Day long weekend.

“On average, almost 90,000 passengers will journey through YVR each day. Friday, Aug. 1 is expected to the busiest day of the weekend with 91,780 passengers, and Monday, Aug. 4 following closely behind with 91,613,” the airport said in a statement earlier this week.

The projections for 2025 represent a 3.8 per cent increase over the “historical high” seen in 2019, the statement noted.

The Canada Day holiday was also marked by disruption at the airport due to the same issue at NAV Canada. More than two hundred flights were delayed and dozens were cancelled – a situation an airport spokesperson described as “incredibly frustrating.”