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Sydney airport closed after heavy storm damage, downed lines on road

An Eastlink cable employee examines downed lines at the entrance to J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport late Sunday, 36 hours after post-tropical storm Fiona hit Cape Breton. (Tom Ayers/CBC - image credit)
An Eastlink cable employee examines downed lines at the entrance to J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport late Sunday, 36 hours after post-tropical storm Fiona hit Cape Breton. (Tom Ayers/CBC - image credit)

About a dozen high voltage telecommunication lines are blocking the road into the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport, which means flights are not operating at the Cape Breton airport due to concern for public safety.

Post-tropical storm Fiona hit the Sydney, N.S., airport hard, resulting in at least a million dollars in damage, according to its CEO, although officials are still assessing the costs.

The terminal building's facade was damaged, along with a battered airport hangar.

"It's hard to say, but just the one hangar that looks like a complete loss, we're looking at north of a million for a structure like that, could be a couple of million, I'm not sure," said Mike MacKinnon, CEO of the Sydney Airport Authority.

The airport is currently running on electricity from a generator which means technically flights could land and depart.

"We can operate commercial flying on our backup systems, it's just the issue with the access to the airport through the main access road. That's what we're dealing with now," MacKinnon said.

Matthew Moore/CBC
Matthew Moore/CBC

Crews were working Monday to remove the telecommunication lines, but MacKinnon says it's a complicated job.

"Without safe access for the public, we won't be able to start flying," he said.

Flights to Toronto and Montreal were cancelled Monday, but the airport hopes to be up and running midday Tuesday.

Once flights are operational, MacKinnon said airlines are ready to send larger aircraft into Sydney to board extra passengers to clear up the backlog.

Cancelled flights

Matthew Moore
Matthew Moore

David McCharles was supposed to fly out of Sydney on Saturday, but his flight was cancelled.

"Luckily enough, I was staying with my mother who was alone. So as a negative, it turned into a positive that I was able to be here during the storm with her," McCharles said.

He's been helping his mother clear up seven or eight trees that had fallen on her property in Coxheath.

McCharles is booked to fly back to Toronto on Tuesday night. He said Air Canada has been sending him updates.

At the airport, MacKinnon was waiting for insurance adjusters to do a damage assessment.

"As far as how much the damage will add up to, it's significant for sure," he said. "We probably won't have a number for a while."

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