Weather grounds flights and passengers at Halifax airport

The Halifax airport had dozens of delayed and cancelled flights on Monday.

The late January storm has impacted flights in and out of the Maritimes.

The flight boards at Halifax Stanfield International Airport are showing dozens of delays and cancellations.

That’s not what Mike and Shirley Ackermann wanted to see as they were set to start a month-long vacation to Taiwan.

“The weather has socked-in and there’s nothing moving out of the airport this afternoon. So, we’ve rebooked our flight to Toronto for tomorrow and now we’re attempting to rebook the Taiwan leg of the trip,” Mike Ackermann says.

The couple from Sherbrooke, N.S. are not alone. While the airfield is open at Halifax Stanfield, flights are few and far between.

“We’ve seen a few early-morning arrivals and departures, however there are a significant amount of delays and cancellations across the board today,” says airport spokesperson Jessica Kinney.

“We have about 20 maintenance crew staff on today to help support the runway, taxiway apron clearing and they use all kinds of very large equipment like snowplows, and de-icing equipment and sweepers. So, they’re out there working hard and making sure the airfield is maintained.”

It’s not just the weather in Halifax that’s causing problems. A winter storm has dropped a record 46 centimetres at the nation’s busiest airport. That’s where Ericka Sutherland’s work trip to northern Manitoba has stalled.

“I managed to leave Halifax yesterday morning around 5:05 a.m. About an hour into our flight I was, I was given an announcement that I would now not be leaving Toronto until tomorrow, I think it is around 8:15 in the morning, to continue my journey to Winnipeg,” she says.

Given the long wait, instead of continuing on to Lynn Lake through Winnipeg, Sutherland is now booked to return to Halifax instead.

“Best case scenario, I am on the flight tomorrow morning, and my luggage is on there with me,” she says.

As for the Ackermann’s, they managed to find one of the few remaining hotel rooms near the airport. Now, the challenge is to reach their travel agent so they can take another shot at starting their vacation.

“It’s Canada, it’s January,” Mike Ackermann adds, with a shrug.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page