Calgary Airport Damaged by Rain and Hail

[deicer]

 

[Malcolm]

Not seeing any info re damage to the aircraft parked on the ramp area.

[conehead]

Earlier today there was 3 Air Canada aircraft AOG at YYC due to hail damage… they were awaiting assessment and repair. That was hours ago, I don’t know their status now. I believe they were all A320 family types, not 100% sure on that.

[J.O.]

That was nasty. I know someone who's an AME at WestJet - he posted a video of the hail from his deck. His wife's car and the siding on their house both took serious damage.

[Malcolm]

15 minutes ago, J.O. said:

That was nasty. I know someone who's an AME at WestJet - he posted a video of the hail from his deck. His wife's car and the siding on their house both took serious damage.

I understand this latest storm has regulators looking at revising the siding standards.  Our house is almost 40 years old and has surived many hail storms undamaged (at least re the siding) back then most homes did not use plastic or metal siding but rather used wood, stuco or brick.. I would bet any change to the regulations might rule and only "heartyBoard" or equiv will meet insurance standards. 

[mo32a]

^Hardi

[dagger]

10% of the WJA fleet damaged, lots of cancellations ongoing. I wonder how long it takes to fix and inspect this many aircraft.

[Malcolm]

Latest update

Passengers line up to pass through security as repairs are underway at the Calgary International Airport after parts of its domestic terminal building were closed late Monday due to damage caused by hail and heavy rainfall in Calgary on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. WestJet says 16 of its planes have been grounded after the massive hailstorm hit Calgary. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh© The Canadian Press

CALGARY — WestJet says 16 of its planes have been grounded after a massive hailstorm hit Calgary earlier this week.

The Calgary-based airline says those aircraft — 10 per cent of its fleet — need substantial repairs and inspections before they can fly again.

The carrier also says 84 of its flights were cancelled Wednesday, with 106 cancelled Tuesday and 58 on Monday.

 

The Calgary International Airport was pummeled by hail on Monday evening, forcing parts of its domestic terminal to close for repairs for an undetermined time.

A video taken by one traveller shows water pouring from the ceiling by a boarding gate, with chunks of what appear to be tile crashing to the ground.

A spokeswoman for Air Canada says its Calgary operations have returned to normal and it was able to schedule its largest planes to transport stranded passengers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press

[Malcolm]

Cancellations continue at Westjet

Damaged planes remain grounded nine days after hailstorm hit city

• Calgary Herald
• 14 Aug 2024
• MATT SCACE

Westjet has cancelled hundreds of flights after last week's hailstorm, which grounded 10 per cent of its fleet during the home stretch of summer travel season.

Including projected cancellations for Wednesday, the Calgary-based airline has cancelled at least 594 flights in the nine days since the brief but ruinous hailstorm swept through north Calgary, forcing it to temporarily remove 16 of its aircraft from the skies.

Westjet has not provided a timeline for returning those planes to its schedule, and in the interim has secured short-term agreements to allow extra flights to run.

Over the weekend, the airline operated several dozen “additional sections” to accommodate passengers disrupted by the cancellations — many of them coming from its regional airline, Westjet Encore, and Inuit-owned airline Canadian North.

Photos revealing the damage to its planes were published last week by Westjet, showing a piece of the exterior pocked with dents across a plane's wing spoilers — a small plate that flips up on a hinge to slow an aircraft and is most frequently deployed as a plane lands.

Another photo shows electronic mapping of each hail strike, which is covered in red dots signifying hail damage.

Two of Flair Airlines' aircraft are also out of commission due to the storm and will return to service in the coming weeks, CEO Maciej Wilk said last week. Air Canada said last week that its operations in Calgary had returned to normal.

The most recent spate of cancellations adds to the growing list of significant events that have caused major disruptions to Westjet's operations in 2024.

Several hundred flights were cancelled in mid-january amid a cold snap that froze de-icing fluid, while more than 1,000 trips were cancelled over the Canada Day long weekend when Westjet's mechanics union unexpectedly called a multi-day strike after a directive for binding arbitration was issued by federal Labour Minister Seamus O'regan. (The country's labour board ruled the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association was within its rights to strike.)

Because the airline is based in Calgary, January's cold snap and last week's hailstorm have had outsized effects on Westjet compared to its competitors.

Calgary International Airport, meanwhile, is still recovering from damage incurred from the hailstorm, which damaged the building's roof, sending rainwater into the terminal.

A spokesperson for the airport on Tuesday said all gates in Concourse B — one of the airport's main sections of the domestic departures terminal — remained closed and the damage is still being assessed. Management has not set a timeline for its reopening, the airport said.

The airport hasn't arrived at an estimate for how much the repairs will cost.

All other gates are open and the airport has been able to accommodate the full commercial schedule, it said.

Calgary airport chief operating officer Chris Miles said last week the airport doesn't expect any “lasting repercussions” from the storm.

Miles was not available for an interview on Tuesday.

Article Name:Cancellations continue at Westjet

Publication:Calgary Herald

Section:CITY+REGION

Author:MATT SCACE

Start Page:A3

End Page:A3

[conehead]

52 minutes ago, Malcolm said:

A spokesperson for the airport on Tuesday said all gates in Concourse B — one of the airport's main sections of the domestic departures terminal — remained closed and the damage is still being assessed. Management has not set a timeline for its reopening, the airport said.

 

I'm travelling to YYC with Air Canada on Monday. Does anyone know if AC arrivals is being affected in any way?

[Malcolm]

WestJet says flight cancellations post-hailstorm to continue for 'foreseeable future'

CALGARY — WestJet says it will be issuing flight cancellations "for the foreseeable future" after planes were damaged by a Calgary hailstorm last week, upending travel plans for thousands of passengers.

The country's second-biggest carrier says 16 aircraft, or 10 per cent of its fleet, remain out of commission nine days after the tempest rained down golf ball-sized ice pellets onto parts of southern Alberta, including the province's largest airport.

 

After assessing the damage, the airline says sourcing specialized equipment and materials to complete repairs and inspections will take several weeks.

WestJet says it has cancelled more than 600 flights since Aug. 5, with 50 trips per day on average now being called off and more than 20,000 customers affected.

The Calgary-based company says fewer flights will be scrapped as planes return to service later this month, but that it shares passengers' frustration over the impact of the storm.

The airline says it is facing "very high volumes" of calls and emails as it works to help passengers rebook or opt for refunds.

Experts say airfares will likely rise in the short-term due to the diminished flight capacity following the hailstorm, which also damaged the Calgary airport's domestic terminal and four planes at Flair Airlines and Cargojet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press

[Malcolm]

WestJet is canceling an average of 50 flights per day as plane repairs expected to take weeks. (Getty Images)

WestJet announced on Wednesday that it will continue proactively cancelling flights – an average of 50 per day – through August as the airline works to bring the 16 aircraft that were damaged by a hailstorm in Calgary back into service.

The Calgary-based airline says it will “continue issuing proactive cancellations for the foreseeable future,” after comprehensive assessment of the damaged aircraft “determined that sourcing specialized equipment and materials and completing repairs and inspections will take several weeks.”

 

WestJet cancelling average of 50 flights a day as plane repairs expected to take weeks

"We share in Canadians' frustration for the unpredictable nature of this summer travel season and are incredibly disappointed that the compounding impacts of last week's hailstorm continue to disrupt the travel plans of our valued guests," Diederik Pen, WestJet’s chief operating officer, said in a news release.

WestJet says it is currently cancelling an average of 50 flights per day, but it expects that number to go down as aircraft return to service “in a phased approach.”

WestJet grounded 16 planes – amounting to more than 10 per cent of its fleet – after a massive hailstorm hit Calgary earlier this month. The Calgary International Airport was pummelled by hail, forcing parts of the domestic terminal to close for repairs for an undetermined time.

Experts say airfares may go up in the immediate aftermath of the hailstorm, as a significant scale-back in capacity will likely boost demand at other airlines and push up ticket prices during the peak summer travel season.

With files from The Canadian Press

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

[Malcolm]

At least 18 months needed to repair Calgary airport hail damage

Wet ceiling tiles rest on waterlogged carpet in Terminal B of Calgary International Airport on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, where a hail storm led to significant water damage the night before.

Repairing the hail-damaged concourse at Calgary International Airport will take at least 18 months, the airport said Wednesday.

The construction will close Concourse B at YYC airport for that period, it said, however operations won’t be affected by the disruption.

The news comes more than three weeks after golf-ball-sized hail punctured the airport’s roof and sent heavy rainwater pouring into the terminal. The closures mean gates 31 to 40 will be closed until early 2026.

 

“We have completed the initial remediation work and are now developing a comprehensive plan to repair the roof and interior of Concourse B,” said Chris Miles, chief operating officer for YYC airport.

The airport is working to relocate businesses and provide support to those impacted by the decision to close the concourse. The airline has been able to manage the situation with “no impact to our guests and passengers, as we have been able to accommodate all flights through other parts of the terminal,” said airport CEO Chris Dinsdale.

Final restoration plans will be shared at a later date.

The early-August hail storm was one of the worst to hit Calgary in about four years, inflicting carnage across north Calgary. Several homes’ exteriors were stripped by the large hail and vehicles’ windows were smashed and cracked.

WestJet, meanwhile, is still bearing the wounds of the storm, having been forced to ground 10 per cent of its fleet for repairs after 16 planes were seriously damaged in the storm . In a LinkedIn post last week, CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said it will take “weeks” to get its aircraft back in service. Its update from Aug. 14 said the damage would force WestJet to make proactive cancellations into the “foreseeable future.”