Flights cancelled, delayed at Vancouver International Airport due to heavy snowfall

Officials at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) say crews are working to clear around 20 centimetres of snow that has fallen since Tuesday night, while several flights have been delayed or cancelled.

Airport officials are asking travellers to check with carriers about the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

A winter storm is expected to drop up to 20 centimetres of snow across southwest B.C. from Tuesday night into Thursday.

It has already resulted in school closures and commuting delays in places like Vancouver and Victoria.

"Our teams are working hard to ensure your safety and run operations as smoothly as possible," said Air Canada on X, formerly Twitter.

YVR spokesperson Alyssa Smith said crews were busy clearing runways and de-icing planes to keep departures running as smoothly as possible. However, given the conditions, she said extra time is needed to have planes safely arrive and depart.

"So, what we're seeing is some impacts to flight schedules so we can manage the number of arriving and departing flights to the weather," she said.

Around noon, YVR officials said in a release that approximately 80 per cent of flights were operating out of the airport.

Other flights at airports around the province, such Kelowna International Airport  and Kamloops Airport in B.C.'s Interior and at Victoria International Airport, were also facing delays and flight cancellations due to the conditions.