The flow of air traffic has resumed through the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) after a wave of cancellations due to a shortage of air traffic controllers on Tuesday evening.
However, passengers are still being warned of delays and congestion as the facility clears a backlog.
Nearly 100 flights were cancelled on Tuesday and 195 were delayed due to what YVR said were “staffing constraints” at Nav Canada, the organization in charge of Canada’s civil air navigation system.
YVR said that meant it was forced to reduce traffic in and out of the airport.
Nav Canada says the flow of air traffic has since resumed, but airport officials say travellers should still check the status of their flight before heading to the terminal.
“The advice, as always, is for people to check with their airline, check YVR.ca, before coming to the airport,” YVR spokesperson Stephen Smart told Global News.
“If your flight is cancelled, you are far better off checking in with your airline either online or calling them from home, from your hotel, wherever you have to be. The services those airlines can provide at the airport are limited.”
Nav Canada says it is working to recruit, train and license new air traffic controllers at an accelerated pace, however, due to the complexities of the job, it still takes about three years to fully license someone for the job.