YVR prepares for snow, unveils winter readiness plan

While the Lower Mainland cleans up after Monday’s deluge, the region’s major airport is looking ahead to the snow.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) released its winter readiness plan Tuesday morning, as it tries to address the challenges and concerns that came out of a series of early winter storms in late 2022.

The airport was thrown into chaos several times last December, which led to massive delays, cancelled flights, and threats of lawsuits from passengers who were stuck in the terminal or on the tarmac.

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YVR’s administration launched a review into how the situation was handled and then came up with a $40-million plan in hopes of preventing a repeat.

Revealed on Tuesday, YVR says it has spent this past year “proactively turning lessons into actionable plans.”

YVR explains it has looked at “virtually every area of YVR’s operation,” after the previous After Action Review was done in January.

“The After Action Review clearly lays out a roadmap to improve resiliency and better support passengers during major weather events,” said Tamara Vrooman, Vancouver International Airport president & CEO. “We listened carefully to what the public told us during the Review.  While they recognize aviation is a complex ecosystem, the public asked YVR to take a bigger role to ensure they get the information and support they need in times of disruption.  As a result, YVR has invested $40 million in over 130 initiatives across the airport.”

YVR says the 130 improvements include: the installation of real-time weather monitoring equipment; new gating and towing protocols to make sure arriving planes get to the gate within 30 minutes; and adding more staff to support passengers.

The airport has also purchased 19 pieces of new and specialized snow-clearing equipment, and says it has also enhanced its ability to track delayed luggage.

“During a major snowstorm, YVR will use over 100 pieces of snow removal equipment to keep runways, taxiways, and aprons safe for aircraft and passengers. In addition to this, aircraft de-icing services, which are provided by Aero MAG, now include five new electric de-icing vehicles which have been added to the existing fleet of 24 de-icing trucks,” the airport said.

In addition to the enhanced protocols and infrastructure, YVR is also providing travellers some tips to help prepare them for the holiday season — the airport’s busiest time of the year.

It is urging travellers to consider using the airport’s YVR EXPRESS program to book security screenings in advance. It’s also suggesting travellers arrive early, and “pack smart” by following all Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) baggage requirements.

The airport says its predicting Dec. 20, 21, 22, 27 and 29 to be the busiest days — all seeing more than 70,000 passengers through the airport.

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