Several flights destined for Yellowknife have been cancelled due to freezing rain in the NWT capital.
The Summit Air Spitfires were headed home to Yellowknife on Monday after winning bronze at a girls hockey tournament in Cochrane, Alberta, when their flight turned back to Calgary. When they tried to fly home again the following day, their flight was diverted to Fort McMurray before ultimately heading back to Calgary again.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” said head coach Ryan Nichols. “The girls want to get back, as do the coaches, but it’s better to be safe than sorry I guess is the attitude.”
Nichols said twelve players and three coaches have been stuck in Calgary.
“They were a little upset yesterday when we turned around because it’s the first time that it’s ever happened to them,” Nichols said of the players on Tuesday night. “Once it was explained to them, they were okay.”
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Nichols said “they sort-of laughed it off” when their plane had to turn around again Tuesday, as they expected the same thing might happen.
“It’s just kind-of frustrating when you check out of a hotel and bring your rental car back and then you’re back to Calgary six hours later and you’ve got to find another hotel,” Nichols said.
The team is hoping the third time will be the charm and they will be able to land in Yellowknife on Wednesday.
WestJet said one flight between Calgary and Yellowknife was cancelled on Monday “out of an abundance of caution” due to weather and runway conditions. Four WestJet flights headed to Yellowknife from Calgary were cancelled on Tuesday.
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“We continue to monitor the forecast closely and advise all guests to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport,” the airline said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
Air Canada said its flight from Toronto to Yellowknife was diverted to Edmonton on Tuesday due to freezing rain and runway conditions. The airline said it planned to resume the flight on Wednesday, when conditions are expected to be “more favourable.”
Airport staff work to de-ice runway
A spokesperson for the NWT Department of Infrastructure said staff at the Yellowknife Airport applied a liquid chemical on the runway Monday afternoon to “address ice that had formed due to the freezing rain.” They said a “large amount” of ice was removed after several applications.
The spokesperson explained the chemical is left on the runway in order to be effective and improve braking conditions so that aircraft can safely land.
They said airport staff swept and graded runways on Tuesday and planned to apply more of the chemical to address remaining ice.
“The safety of travelers, airplane crews, and our staff is our number one priority,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Yellowknife Airport staff continue their work to control and eliminate ice on their runways.”
Environment Canada issued freezing rain warnings for Yellowknife, Łútsël K’é, Behchokǫ̀, Whatì and Wekweètì on Monday. It said freezing rain was expected to end that evening.
The department publishes the status of flights arriving to and departing from the Yellowknife Airport online.
Sarah Pruys contributed reporting.
