The terminal building at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is experiencing a major power outage that began around 3 p.m. Friday.
Photos provided to Daily Hive Urbanized showed dark interiors due to the power outage, and passengers at the airport said some airport operations appeared to be affected. Currently, indoor lighting relies more on natural light than usual.
Terminal gates remain operational; Check real-time arrival and departure information on YVR’s website It is suggested that there is no major impact on flight operations at this time.
“YVR is experiencing a power outage due to a technical issue affecting parts of Sea Island, including parts of the terminal. Flights continue to arrive and depart, but escalators, elevators, electronic kiosks, and other “There is some disruption to the terminal as we work to bring systems back online,” the Vancouver Airport Authority said in a statement to Daily Hive Urbanized.
Airport authorities said they had deployed additional staff to common areas of the terminal building to assist passengers.
Power outage at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on October 13, 2023. (Submitted)
Power outage at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on October 13, 2023. (Submitted)
“Safety and security are our top priorities and our team is working to ensure that all systems related to these functions are fully operational. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to get them on the road as quickly as possible,” the statement continued.
As a precautionary measure, airport authorities recommend passengers contact their airlines for the latest flight information.
As of this writing, BC Hydro has not reported any grid-based power outages near Sea Island.
Airport officials further stated that YVR has emergency backup power and is functioning as intended to maintain the operation of all critical systems. It is unclear when power will be fully restored.
YVR is also known for having an extensive backup generator system for the airfield’s power needs, especially critical functions such as runway lighting.
A rather unnerving “airport-wide” power outage.Hotel staff panics while running on generator #yvr pic.twitter.com/rrTtT6FyL0
— Sara (@NAHanniFinanci1) October 13, 2023
Power outage at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on October 13, 2023. (Submitted)
Power outage at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on October 13, 2023. (Submitted)
Prior to the pandemic, YVR installed 10 new emergency backup generators in the terminal building and a new earth exchange system in the Central Utility Building (CUB) that provides a clean energy source for heating and cooling the vast terminal. Construction was underway. This includes not only the interior of the building, but also the integrated utility and equipment systems that are currently distributed throughout the terminal building.
However, citing the pandemic’s initial severe financial impact on airport authorities, the decision was made to cancel CUB in summer 2020 and suspend work on the adjacent park expansion indefinitely. At the time, the airport said it would spend $525 million on these projects and needed hundreds of millions more to complete them.
YVR is currently seeking a partner to complete the previous partially constructed CUB shell structure into 300,000 square feet of commercial and light industrial space.
Partially constructed skeleton structure of the previously planned central utility building. It is currently planned to become an airport commercial center. (Google Maps)
Artistic rendering of the now-canceled Central Utilities Building at Vancouver International Airport. This building is now the airport commercial center. (Vancouver Airport Authority)
