Unusual storm to blame for snags at airport

The approach of summer in Calgary means Mother Nature will occasionally delay air travel.

But a day after a lightning storm grounded dozens of planes on the tarmac at Calgary International Airport for five hours, stranding thousands of passengers, it raises the question: How extraordinary is this type of weather event?

Lightning advisories happen all the time, but the duration of this one was unusual, said Calgary Airport Authority spokeswoman Jody Moseley.

“It went on for quite some time. There’s been other (lightning advisories) like it but you typically see breaks in between, which allow the airlines to operate.”

The advisory was issued Wednesday as a safety precaution due to thunderstorms even though there were not actual lightning strikes at the airport.

WestJet was forced to cancel dozens of flights as a result of the incident, but most of the affected passengers were on their way by Thursday evening. To help with the backlog, the carrier added eight new flights.

At the peak of Wednesday’s red alert, Air Canada had 29 planes on the ground.

It brought in bigger aircraft and a new flight to Toronto to aid customers stranded by the lightning storm.

It was one of the longest red-alert situations Air Canada employees can recall, said airline spokeswoman Angela Mah.

“When the possibility of lightning strikes within the airport vicinity is high, all ramp activities come to a halt and all employees must take cover. No aircraft can be gated, loaded, or unloaded even if the aircraft is a mere few inches from the bridge for safety reasons,” Mah said.

“The duration of a red alert depends on the storm, which can last minutes or hours as we experienced yesterday.”

The length of Wednesday’s lightning advisory even led Westjet officials to wonder if the airport’s lightning sensors were working properly.

“For us it was the severity. I’ve been here seven years and I’ve near seen (one) last five hours,” said Westjet vicepresident Richard Bartrem.

Technology at the airport can detect lightning within five kilometres. It sends an immediate alert to air carriers, who must then choose whether to continue to operate or wait it out on the tarmac for safety reasons.

“The system alerts them to weather in the area and the airlines make their own decision in regards to that. We have no say in how they operate,” said Moseley.

Lightning advisories often happen at airports across North America during the warmer months.

Indeed, there was another red alert issued at Calgary International Airport on Thursday, but it was brief and resulted in only minor inconveniences for passengers.

Airports don’t have statistics, but officials say such weather events are typical.

“It happens almost everywhere in the summer,” said Trish Krale, a spokeswoman for Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, the largest in the country.

“There was a day last week where we were in and out of a lightning advisory for a couple of hours. It certainly has a big impact on operations, depending on the time of day of course.”

Lightning — much like other kinds of weather phenomena — is highly unpredictable and there is no way of knowing how long an advisory will continue.

The uncertainty is one of the most frustrating things for passengers, said Traci Bedard, a spokeswoman for Edmonton International Airport.

“Lightning presents the same kind of challenge as fog or strong wind blizzards,” she said. “It’s tough because you can’t say definitively, ‘here’s what’s going to happen in the next hour.’ ”

Lightning presents the same kind of challenge as fog or strong wind blizzards. It’s tough because you can’t say definitively, ‘here’s what’s going to happen in the next hour.’ TRACI BEDARD