Extreme cold may impact flights at North Peace Regional Airport

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Inbound and outbound flights at the North Peace Regional Airport this week may be affected due to temperatures expected to reach the -40 C range.

Stacy Smith, managing director at the North Peace Regional Airport, says the facility is fully functional, and the runways are suitable. However, planes generally have a difficult time in extremely cold conditions.

Smith stressed the importance of travellers contacting the airlines to see if flights have been changed or cancelled in cold weather conditions.

“The only one that has been affected so far is the morning flight. [Thursday morning], they had to cancel it because the plane was covered with frost,” Smith said.

When planes need to be de-iced — the process of removing snow, ice or frost from the plane — it can continue to delay the reformation of ice.

However, Smith says this process is only effective until about -35 C, and the region has been dipping below that threshold.

Smith says the further problem is that once the de-icing is on the plane, there is only about a six-minute window to start the engines, board the plane, get on the runway, and take off.

“As it gets colder and colder, that window to get out and get airborne starts to shrink,” Smith said.

He says they are working with the conditions the best they can, but it is still essential for travellers to contact their airlines to ensure there haven’t been any delays or cancellations due to the cold.

Smith also wanted to remind travellers that the walk between the terminal and the plane will also be quite cold, so dressing appropriately to avoid frostbite is recommended.