What's going on at YVR? Delays, delays, delays for a third straight day
Vancouver International Airport experienced widespread delays for both arriving and departing flights for the third straight day Wednesday as a result of resource constraints and staffing shortages, including among air traffic controllers.
Nav Canada, which owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system, posted on its social media late Wednesday morning that the delays were affecting some flights at the airport, and YVR's website listed most arrivals and departures as delayed, including domestic and international flights travelling to or from destinations as far away as Japan and South Korea.
In a statement to Postmedia News, NavCan spokesman Jonathan Bagg said the delays were specifically due to personnel shortages in the air traffic control tower and that a traffic management initiative, which reduces traffic to safe levels, was in place.
As of Wednesday afternoon, traffic management was still in place, with no indication as to when it might be lifted.
On Monday, the reason for the implementation of traffic management was listed as 'a mix of factors including demand, construction and resource constraints,' while on Tuesday the reason was narrowed to a lack of air traffic controllers.
YVR has already had six days with a significant number of delays so far this year, the same number of alerts it had in the almost full year between August 2023 and July 2024.
'It is important to note that multiple stakeholders contribute to the overall operational environment — this includes airlines, airport operations, security, baggage services, and Nav Canada, among others,' said Bagg.
'Ensuring that we have the staffing required to provide safe, efficient air navigation services remains a top priority for Nav Canada, and we continue to take the steps needed to support service continuity across the country.'
Nick von Schoenberg, president and CEO of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association, said the shortage of air traffic controllers is a Canada-wide issue but is particularly acute at YVR due to higher standards to qualify than at other airports.
He said that while most air traffic control towers require staff to undergo training of between 90 and 120 training days after transferring, YVR requires those transferring to the airport to undergo 150 training days to re-certify.
'Vancouver has less people and it's a hard place to qualify,' he said. 'Hard to do an apples to apples comparison because Vancouver doesn't take people off the street while most others do.'
Von Schoenberg has been raising concerns about a labour shortage in the industry for the past few years and believes the federal government should institute minimum staffing requirements. He said at least several hundred more air traffic controllers are needed across the country to make up for current shortages, with the root of the staffing crisis stemming to the cutting of 720 positions by Nav Canada during COVID-19.
In an attempt to address staffing shortages, Nav Canada announced a partnership with CAE, a Canadian flight simulation and training company, last April to add capacity to train 478 more students in flight simulation and training by 2028, alongside the roughly 500 students currently undergoing training.
Bagg said the partnership will allow the organization to 'accelerate its staffing objectives by five years.'
Last year, YVR welcomed the second-most travellers in its history with 26.2 million passengers transiting through the airport, a five per cent increase from 2023's 24.9 million visitors. The record number occurred in 2019, when the airport welcomed 26.3 million passengers.
YVR officials recommend that passengers check their incoming flight status with their airline before going to the airport.
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