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Cranbrook airport deals with cancelled flights, weather

WestJet brings in larger aircraft Monday to accommodate cancelled Pacific Coastal flights
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The Canadian Rockies International Airport (pictured before the massive snowfalls of December). Corey Bullock photo

Pacific Coastal Airlines temporarily suspended its network operations on Sunday, Jan. 2, and Monday, Jan. 3, amid an omicron outbreak. Flights out of the Canadian Rockies International Airport at Cranbrook were affected, as well as at other airports, but measures were taken to accommodate the cancelled flights.

“We have temporarily suspended all network operations on Sunday, January 2 and Monday, January 3, due to the rapid transmission of the Omicron Covid-19 variant we are experiencing in our Operational Control Centre,” read a statement from the airline. “We are taking this quick and necessary measure to protect the integrity of our long-term schedule and safeguard our operation.”

“Pacific Coastal Airlines apologizes to all customers affected by this service disruption,” the statement concluded.

Tristen Chernove of Elevate Airports, manager of the Canadian Rockies International Airport, said that WestJet on Monday was bringing in a larger plane to replace the cancelled Pacific Coastal link. Westjet Encore’s Q400 aircraft will arrive at 1345 and depart at 1420 on January 3rd. Scheduled departure times were delayed slightly.

Pacific Coastal Airlines flights were set to resume on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Recent weather conditions were also a challenge at the Canadian Rockies International Airport, in particular the heavy snowfall, although so far flights had not been too affected by the weather.

“We have a full crew out there plowing,” Chernove said. “The weather has been throwing us a challenge, but our team is amazing … These are the hardest weather conditions I’ve seen, but we’re getting through.”



Barry Coulter

About the Author: Barry Coulter

Barry Coulter had been Editor of the Cranbrook Townsman since 1998, and has been part of all those dynamic changes the newspaper industry has gone through over the past 20 years.
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