Turbulence at Vancouver airport over as air traffic control returns to full staffing

After a challenging week that saw delays on more than 80 flights in and out of the Vancouver International Airport, the agency responsible for Canadian air traffic control says it has resumed normal operations at the facility.

Earlier this week, Nav Canada issued a warning about flight delays because it had implemented a temporary traffic management initiative at the Vancouver airport due to “personnel constraints” related to “unplanned absences.”

“Luckily, I think I have some flexibility, so I am not as concerned, but if I were going somewhere a little further abroad where I had a hotel or something, absolutely,” air traveller Kati Varga told Global News on Thursday when asked about possible delays.

“They should have proper staffing to run the airport smoothly, of course that’s important,” added Lisa Imlah.

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“Hopefully they get it sorted out.”

Nav Canada, which employs about 2,500 air traffic controllers, has dealt with staffing crunches for years.

It says it plans to hire another 1,500 controllers by 2028, and earlier this year partnered with the world’s largest flight simulator company to train hundreds of new recruits.

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Gábor Lukács, president of Air Passenger Rights, said travellers who had their flight delayed or cancelled likely won’t be eligible for compensation — unless the airline had significant advanced notice of the delays.

“They have to respond to the situation and rearrange their own business in a way that is adapting to the new reality,” he said.

“If the airline is responding to the best of its reasonable abilities and acts in a normal way, or if the airline learns about these issues only a very short time before the cancellations, the airline would not be held liable.”

Nav Canada said operations at the airport have since “returned to normal levels,” but advised travellers to continue checking the status of their flights.

— with files from the Canadian Press