It was turbulent times for travellers at YVR during one of the busiest weekends of the summer.
An ongoing shortage of NAV CANADA air traffic controllers caused over 100 flight delays Saturday night along with 24 on Sunday and one cancellation.
Some travellers Global News spoke with were still waiting on their flights on Sunday.
“So, I was originally supposed to fly from Victoria to Ottawa. That flight got cancelled so some quick switch ups and now I’m flying from Victoria to Vancouver and then Vancouver to Halifax, says passenger Noah Macintosh.
NAV CANADA says the lack of air traffic controllers is not unique to YVR.
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“While we do plan to run a smooth operation, at times we can experience things like unplanned absences, which was a factor in this, and so our goal in those situations is to respond,” explains NAV CANADA spokesperson Jonathan Bagg.
“I don’t have a crystal ball to tell you what the long-term operational will look like,” Bagg adds.
NAV CANADA says across the country, over 500 people are being trained as air traffic controllers but training takes between 24 and 36 months to complete.
Still, Bagg says: “As it stands, we are equipped to provide good level service and good level through put for airlines and the traveling public.”
Staff at YVR say they were left scrambling when the delays came in late on Saturday.
Airlines, baggage handlers, tow crews, customs agents and restaurant staff had to adjust or stay late according to Stephen Smart with YVR Communications.
“A number of U.S. flights got shifted to the early hours of the morning, so U.S. Customs and Border Protection and CBSA agreed to stay longer so the passengers could get screened closer to their actual flight times,” Smart explained.
“We had a lot of our guest experience team here to support passengers as best we could.”
The airport is expected to be busiest on Monday with 88,000 passengers expected to move through YVR.
In addition, three cruise ships are also in town this long weekend.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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