Flights Resume at Calgary Airport After Temporary Pause Due to Heavy Snow

Passengers line-up to pass through security at the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Aug. 6, 2024. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

Flights at Calgary International Airport have resumed after the airport temporarily paused operations on Nov. 24 due to heavy snowfall on the runway.

Flight operations resumed at 9 a.m. MST on Nov. 24 after they were temporarily paused for just over an hour due to “heavy and accumulating snowfall on the airfield,” a Calgary International Airport spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

“Given the winter weather conditions, we anticipate that there will be some flight delays throughout the day,” the airport said in a statement.

“As an airport prepared for winter, our experienced crews and specialized equipment are always ready to respond to keep our runways and taxiways clear and safe.”

The airport is thanking travellers for their patience and understanding as their teams work to “maintain safe conditions” on the airfield by keeping runways and surfaces clear of snow.

The airport is also encouraging anyone travelling Monday to check directly with their airline for the latest information on their flights.

“Please expect delays as we keep airport operations safe. Check with your airline for the most up to date flight information & leave plenty of time to get to the airport,” Calgary International Airport said in a Nov. 24 post on X.

A number of departure and arrival flights were listed as “delayed” on the airport’s website including Air Canada, WestJet, Flair, Porter Airlines, and Delta Air Lines flights as of 2:30 MST on Nov. 24.

Environment Canada forecasted the snowfall would be ending in Calgary late Monday afternoon with a total of 10 to 15 centimetres of snow accumulation expected, according to a weather update from the agency at 11:05 a.m. MST. The city is expected to be hit with more snow on Nov. 27 and 28.

Snow detours were set to take effect for all of the city buses on the morning of Nov. 24, as the city anticipated the heavy snowfall, Calgary Transit said in a Nov. 23 news release.

“Activating the detours city-wide at the same time will help prevent buses from getting stuck, as well as slowing down transit service for customers and traffic for commuters,” Calgary Transit said.

“Snow detours will remain in place until conditions improve, at which point they may be lifted city-wide or by quadrant.”

The Calgary Transit website indicated a number of city bus routes were still experiencing a “major service delay” due to the snow detours as of 2:30 p.m. MST.

The snowfall has also led to slippery road conditions in the city, with a total of 186 collisions in Calgary from midnight to 11:30 a.m. MST, the Calgary Police Service told The Epoch Times.

In total, there have been 16 collisions that resulted in injuries, while 141 were “non-injury” collisions, and 29 collisions were non-injury hit-and-run incidents, Calgary police said.