Pack your patience, delays likely to continue at YVR: air traffic control association
CTV
If your travel plans this summer include hopping aboard a flight, be prepared to wait.
If your travel plans this summer include hopping aboard a flight, be prepared to wait.
The busy summer travel season is being coupled with staffing shortages, which could impact your upcoming air travel.
On Sunday, several flights were delayed at Vancouver International Airport due to NAV Canada staffing constraints according to YVR – for the fourth time in just over a month.
“Like many in the complex global air industry, NAV CANADA is currently experiencing frontline air traffic services staffing challenges,” a NAV Canada spokesperson says in a statement to CTV News. “NAV CANADA is leveraging a number of options to support appropriate staffing levels including optimizing staff scheduling, rehiring recently retired controllers, temporary assignments and overtime.”
NAV Canada says its frontline air traffic services training program is full, with 400 employees in training and 600 entering training programs in the next two years, but it takes between 12 and 27 months to complete.
The Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA) tells CTV News travellers can expect staffing shortage delays to be “ongoing for a while” while new workers are trained and hired.
The CATCA says while there is a struggle with shortages and depleted staffing, it is happy with the work NAV Canada is doing on recruitment and training.
