Executives of the 2010 Winter Olympics' official airport say they'll be ready for both winter and the Olympics.
Thousands of travelers were stranded when hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled during Christmastime snowstorms at Vancouver International Airport last December. Officials spent $30 million on snow plows and de-icing equipment to avoid a repeat embarrassment.
"If we get a metre of snow this Christmas or during the Olympics, we'll be able to handle it," pledged operations vice-president Don Ehrenholz on Tuesday.
YVR estimates 231,000 more passengers will fly through because of the Games. March 1, the day after closing ceremony, will be a record day with an estimated 39,000 people departing with 77,000 pieces of luggage.
To lighten the load, Vancouver and Whistler athletes villages will have remote check-in. An auxiliary terminal to handle Olympic family travellers is in the early stages of construction.
Airspace and airport closures happened during Salt Lake 2002 and Torino 2006 opening and closing ceremonies. Olympic planning vice-president Paul Levy said YVR isn't planning similar shut downs, but may be required to do so by the RCMP Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit.
"We don't expect that that's going to happen," Levy said. "We take our lead from them. If that happens, we're ready to deal with it."
All aircraft travelling to YVR must be pre-screened.
Abbotsford, Kelowna, Victoria, Calgary, Spokane, Wash., Boise, Idaho, and Reno, Nev. have been designated portals for corporate charters and small airlines.
