Over 200 flights delayed at Vancouver airport after air traffic controller constraints

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 4:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

More than 200 flights were delayed astatine Vancouver's airdrome betwixt Saturday and Sunday, with the airdrome authorization attributing the delays to ongoing staffing constraints astatine Canada's aerial postulation power agency.

Nav Canada has been seeing ongoing issues for months, with a shortage of aerial postulation controllers astatine Vancouver International Airport (YVR) successful peculiar regularly causing delays.

With much than 425,000 passengers expected to transit done YVR successful the pb up to Canada Day, Monday is expected to beryllium the busiest question time of the four-day stretch.

Nav Canada said it's doing its champion to adhd formation capableness wherever possible, and that its extremity is ever to minimize the interaction connected passengers.

"We cognize that immoderate delay, careless of the duration, tin beryllium impactful to Canadians and travellers," a spokesperson wrote successful an email. "We ever promote passengers to cheque the presumption of their formation with their airlines."

A YVR spokesperson said that 186 flights were delayed connected Saturday and, arsenic of 11:20 a.m. PT connected Sunday, 24 flights were reporting delays.

"As delays are a effect of staffing constraints astatine [Nav Canada], we cannot talk to whether impacts volition persist implicit the coming days," the spokesperson said.

Stephen Smart, the airport's caput of communications, told CBC News connected Sunday that astatine 1 constituent connected Saturday, the mean hold connected a formation was 2 hours.

Normally astir 36 planes an hr tin onshore astatine YVR, but astatine 1 constituent connected Saturday that fell to 16, Smart said.

More than 88,000 passengers are expected to transit done YVR connected Monday, according to the airdrome authority.

YVR straight attributed the delays to Nav Canada.

But Nav Canada said aerial postulation delays are seldom the responsibility of a azygous organization.

"Air postulation delays tin hap for a scope of reasons — upwind being the astir frequent, but besides runway construction, infrastructure maintenance, surges successful demand, and unit resourcing," Nav Canada wrote successful a statement.

"Airports, airlines, baggage handling, information screening services, and [Nav Canada] all play a portion successful the broader aviation system."

In effect to a question from CBC News astir whether the bureau could person amended foreseen the agelong play question demand, Nav Canada spokesperson Jonathan Bagg said they were actively moving to optimize their scheduling.

"We bash program to marque definite we tin person capable people, but sometimes you person unforeseen circumstances, and successful those cases we bash everything we tin to respond," helium said successful an interrogation with CBC News.

Ongoing staffing crunch

The staffing crunch astatine Nav Canada has been an contented for months astatine Canada's largest airports.

In May, an Air Canada aviator vented his frustrations implicit aerial postulation controller shortages to passengers connected a Vancouver-Montreal flight, urging passengers to constitute their MPs to code the delays.

Nav Canada is simply a backstage non-profit company that is funded by contributions from airlines, and oversees aerial postulation power crossed the country.

WATCH | Air Canada aviator blasts aerial postulation controller shortage: 

In its statement, the Nav Canada spokesperson said that it's stepping up efforts to bid caller aerial postulation controllers.

"Since September 2023, much than 450 aerial postulation services professionals received qualification, including astir 230 aerial postulation controllers, and determination are much than 500 individuals successful our aerial postulation services grooming programs crossed the state astatine this time," they wrote.

"However, the way to afloat qualification is extensive, typically requiring 24 to 36 months of schoolroom instruction, simulation, and on-the-job training."