Nanaimo Airport. (News Bulletin file)

Nanaimo Airport flights delayed, cancelled due to Mt. Hayes wildfire

Transport Canada has closed airspace at YCD airport in Cassidy from dawn to dusk

  • Aug. 21, 2021 12:00 a.m.

The effort to combat the Mount Hayes wildfire will see an effect on air travel, says Nanaimo Airport.

The 70-hectare Mount Hayes wildfire is burning northwest of Ladysmith, and according to a Nanaimo Airport YCD social media post, in- and out-bound flights from the nearby airport in Cassidy have been suspended by Transport Canada “from dawn to dusk to allow for emergency crews to fight the fire.”

According to the YCD website, Air Canada flight AC8266 (Nanaimo to Vancouver) originally scheduled to depart 6:15 p.m., will now leave at 9:15 p.m.

WestJet flight WS3026, also bound for Vancouver and originally scheduled to depart 7:45 p.m., will now leave at 9 p.m.

An Air Canada flight from Nanaimo to Vancouver (AC8258), scheduled to leave 6:55 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 22 has been cancelled, according to the website.

An Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Nanaimo (AC8261), scheduled to arrive at 5:31 p.m. has been cancelled, says YCD. WestJet flight WS3025, originally scheduled from Vancouver at 7:13 p.m. will now land 8:30 pm., while Air Canada flight AC8277 from Calgary, originally scheduled to land at 7:41 p.m., will now arrive at 8:21 p.m.

Nanaimo Airport said the building is open, allowing for passengers to speak to air carrier representatives. It recommends contacting air carriers for information on flight cancellations and delays.

For more information, go to www.nanaimoairport.com.

RELATED: Mt. Hayes wildfire holding at 70 hectares, but still ‘out of control’


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