Vancouver International Airport was crowded with stranded travellers Tuesday, many sitting or sleeping on floors, as heavy snowfall played havoc on transportation in the region during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The snowfall was part of weather warnings that covered most of British Columbia as severely low temperatures and arctic winds gripped the province, forcing the suspension of flights at the airport just days before Christmas. Extreme cold warnings extended across Alberta, Saskatchewan and parts of Manitoba.
A statement from the airport said the storm had an “unprecedented” effect on flights.
Surrey resident Mary Guzman said she and her family boarded a flight to the Philippines at 9 p.m., hoping to enjoy Christmas with relatives there.
But after spending the night on the tarmac aboard the grounded plane, they were told the flight had been cancelled.
“The night was not easy, especially (because) we have a four-year-old daughter and an 88-year-old senior,” said Guzman, pointing to her toddler and mother.
“We didn’t sleep at all on the plane. But that’s the thing, we understand it’s for our safety. So I continue to pray that we can leave tonight.”
Officials with the Ministry of Transportation said as much as 30 centimetres of snow had covered parts of southern Vancouver Island while Metro Vancouver coped with up to 25 centimetres.
The snow prevented counterflow on the Alex Fraser Bridge and Massey Tunnel, two major Metro Vancouver bottlenecks, and drivers were urged to use alternative routes. The Coquihalla highway was temporarily closed southbound due to multiple vehicle incidents that began clearing just after noon.
The Vancouver airport temporarily suspended all incoming and outgoing flights early Tuesday, holding departing aircraft at their gates and stranding passengers aboard some arriving flights for hours, as those planes had no place to go.
A statement from YVR said it was dealing with the “mass cancellations,” working to “deplane passengers safely and deliver luggage to them in the terminal.”
“Passengers who are expecting to fly today and this week are advised to check with their airline directly on the status of their flight. We are asking people to please not come to YVR if you do not absolutely need to,” airport spokeswoman Megan Sutton said in an email.
Toronto resident Adam Abbi said he had been at the airport since Monday afternoon, after his flight home was delayed then cancelled.
He said he got through a long and sleepless night thanks to “espresso, two shots.”
“I am still trying to hold on, but I am about to deteriorate at any second,” Abbi said.
Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport were also suffering, with many flights delayed or cancelled.
Elsewhere around B.C., the deep freeze produced several daily minimum temperature records Monday, including a low of -46.8 C west of Williams Lake. The Quesnel area also broke a record set 78 years ago when it reached a low of -37.5 C.
The heavy snowfall stranded Premier David Eby at home in Vancouver. He said his eight-year-old son’s holiday camp was cancelled for the day and his three-year-old daughter’s child care was closed due to the snowfall.
“We’re all together here at home,” said Eby. “Both parents working remotely as in a flashback to pandemic days and whenever we get a window we’re going to fire those kids out into the snow, and in the meantime Netflix is our friend.”
— With files from Nono Shen and Dirk Meissner
