Calgary airport still rebuilding from summer hailstorm, but ready for holiday rush

The Calgary International Airport is gearing up for a record travel season but the effects of a devastating summer hailstorm that pummeled the city linger. Chris Miles, right, chief operating officer of the Calgary Airport Authority, speaks to members of the media on a tour of a closed concourse to view damage caused by hail and heavy rainfall, in Calgary, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The Calgary International Airport is gearing up for a record travel season, but the effects of a devastating summer hailstorm that pummeled the city linger.

Chris Miles, the chief operating officer of the Calgary Airport Authority, said all of the hail damage has not been repaired, but it won’t affect the expected holiday season rush. 

"We're not expecting to see an impact from the hail itself in capacity or having to curtail flights,” Miles told a news conference Thursday.

“You will see areas of the terminal where we are still repairing initial damage. The process to restore (the most heavily damaged) concourse … is not coming back until July of 2026.”

He added: "It's a long road to recovery. 

“When you look at that storm — and it was 11 kilometres wide and 100 kilometres long — the entire community here … were absolutely hammered."

The Aug. 5 storm brought significant hail, strong winds, heavy rain and localized flooding to parts of Calgary, affecting about one in five homes.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates the damage to the city, deemed the country’s second-costliest weather-related disaster, at $2.8 billion.

Hailstones as big as golf balls hammered the tarmac at Calgary International Airport, damaging planes at WestJet and Flair Airlines and forcing them to ground 10 per cent of their fleets for repairs and inspections. 

"I think we have two that are still out of service out of the 17 aircraft that were damaged from the hailstorm here in Calgary this past summer," said Colleen Tynan, WestJet’s vice-president of experience management.

Tynan said the airline, in co-operation with its partners at the Calgary airport, are taking steps to deal with potential weather-related delays over Christmas and the winter travel season. 

That includes making sure more staff are available, including those working outside handling baggage or rolling back planes, and those at check-in counters and guest assistance.

"What we have historically experienced over the holiday season is cold weather. What we've done is we've invested in different heating equipment so that the aircraft aren't frozen, so we don't take any additional delays due to that," Tynan said.

"We have additional indoor storage for some of our equipment and for the winter and holiday season that has been one of the challenges that we've seen in the past few years."

Miles said 1.8 million people travelled through the airport in 2023 and another record, nearing 1.9 million, is expected this year.

Miles said there will be improvements made to the airport, including larger and thicker roof structures. The cost, he said, will run "into millions and millions of dollars,” but is a sober nod to Calgary’s geography.

"The unfortunate reality is we are in a bit of a hailstorm alley from down south all the way up to Red Deer,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.