Vancouver airport disruptions trigger more flight cancellations in Kamloops, Okanagan

Vancouver International Airport’s efforts to unsnarl its air traffic congestion after being closed much of the day yesterday, Dec. 20, means at least a dozen flight cancellations in Kamloops and the Okanagan this morning.

While most are to or from Vancouver, departures to Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton have been cancelled out of Kelowna International Airport this morning.

Five of nine flights scheduled to leave before 9 a.m. have been cancelled, although Westjet did depart for Calgary at 6:10 a.m., only 10 minutes late.

Most incoming flights are listed on the Kelowna airport website as being on time although morning Westjet flights from Calgary and Edmonton are delayed and the 11:27 a.m. Westjet flight from Victoria has been cancelled.

A few other flight arrivals later in the day are listed as delayed or cancelled.

Check for arrivals and departures here.

At Kamloops Airport, the Air Canada 9:45 a.m. flight from Vancouver and Westjet's flight from Vancouver at 12:15 p.m. are both cancelled. The 10:50 a.m. Westjet flight from Calgary is posted as being on time and flights for later in the day are still posted as being on time.

The 11:20 a.m. flight scheduled from Kamloops back to Calgary by Westjet is listed as on time but all other outgoing flights up until 12:45 p.m. are listed as cancelled.

For more information go to the Kamloops Airport website here.

In Penticton, flights out to Vancouver and Calgary are all listed as on time but the 9:41 a.m. Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Penticton has been cancelled.

For more information, go here.

The snowstorm that forced the closure of Vancouver International Airport for much of the day yesterday has passed but will impact flights for at least the next 48 hours, especially for international travel.

“As a result of delays and cancellations following the snowstorm earlier this week, a significant number of aircraft remain at YVR, which has led to congestion on our airfield,” the airport posted on its website at 6:50 a.m. today. “To help depart aircraft from the airport and get crews and passengers safely on their way, we will be temporarily limiting arriving international flights for approximately 48 hours.

READ MORE: Heavy snow in Vancouver causing flight delays, cancellations in Kelowna, Kamloops


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics