Travellers hoping to get to their holiday destinations are facing major hurdles after hundreds of domestic planes have been stranded for days, due to winter conditions halting air traffic around some airports.

On Wednesday afternoon, people hoping to fly from Castlegar to Vancouver were forced to turn around after the airport decided to halt all arrivals due to major backlogs having built up. On Thursday, the airport said it would be at least another full day until it would accept incoming flights.

"The timing couldn't be worse," said West Kootenay airport manager Maciej Habrych to KCR News. "It is the busiest travel weekend of the year."

Habrych said the cancelled flights are a domino effect due to flights being cancelled in Vancouver, spilling over to travellers hoping to leave the Kootenays.

"Then, tack on potential weather here in the region, which might compound some further delays," Habrych said, pointing to potential winter storms over the weekend.

"The timing couldn't be worse" - Castlegar Airport manager Maciej Habrych on travel delays over the holidays