It’s been a few years of ups and downs in the airline industry. But St. John’s International Airport is celebrating inching towards pre-pandemic travel levels.
Still, challenges remain on the horizon, including the loss of a European connection, with no immediate plans for it being reinstated…yet. NTV’s Jodi Cooke reports.
Most flights resumed this afternoon at St. John’s International Airport after a sea of red on the arrivals and departures screens this weekend.
Hundreds of passengers saw their flights delayed, rerouted or cancelled because of thick fog and crosswinds on Saturday and Sunday.
Heavy fog and crosswinds have delayed many flights at St. John’s International Airport this weekend.
St. John’s International Airport is reporting some challenges with higher than average wait times for pre-board screening.
Some travellers have reported recently encountering long wait times.
In a statement, the airport authority says pre-board screeners are employees of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, which is working to re-allocate resources to address the longer wait times.
In the meantime, the airport authority is asking travellers to follow the guidelines of their respective airlines and to allow ample time if travelling.
St. John’s International Airport reopened Sunday evening after a fire late Friday damaged the departures lounge. Passengers are still dealing with backlogs in flights. NTV’s Jodi Cooke reports.
St. John’s International Airport re-opened, as scheduled, at 5 p.m. Sunday after a fire late Friday night. Flight operations were set to resume at 7 p.m.
The airport authority says all operations, including check-in, pre-board screening and baggage handling are open and running smoothly. Select concessionaires will be open to serve travellers.
Throughout the closure, GardaWorld secured the building and prior to re-opening, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) completed a security sweep of all sterile areas.
NTV’s Ben Cleary reports.
The terminal at St. John’s International Airport will remain closed for another and flights are not expected to resume until 7 p.m. Sunday after fire broke out late Friday night.
The terminal was evacuated around 11:30 p.m. because of a fire near the children’s play area on the second floor. St. John’s International Airport emergency responders and the St. John’s Regional Fire Department responded to the incident.
The airport authority says the fire was confined to a specific area. There were fewer than 30 people in the terminal at the time because of storm cancellations. They were evacuated and there were no injuries.
The Airport Authority is still assessing the situation and working with the RNC and Fire Department to ensure all protocols are being followed to reopen the building. The terminal building will remain closed to the public until about two hours before flight resume on Sunday.
“It is appreciated that this emergency may have an impact on the travelling public, but safety is the number one priority for all parties involved,” the authority said in a statement. “The Airport Authority is in contact with our partners to try and provide the most up-to-date information.
“Passengers are advised to not visit the airport until they are advised we have re-opened the terminal safely. Please contact your airline directly for updates about flight information.”
Airport Authority CEO Denis Hogan will spoke to reporters twice on Saturday. He said there is smoke and water damage that needs to be dealt with. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it’s not deemed suspicious. The investigation into the fire is still ongoing.
St. John’s, the Beluga has landed.
The unusual-looking cargo plane called the Airbus Beluga arrived at St. John’s International Airport Wednesday morning. The airport authority says there are only five aircraft like it in the world.
The plane is making a refueling stop in St. John’s as it transports Inmarsat’s newest satellite from Toulouse, France, to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
We will have more on this story tonight on the NTV Evening Newshour.
