Passengers aboard a Mexico-bound Air Canada flight were stuck on the runway at Vancouver International Airport for at least five hours Tuesday after snowy weather forced the pilot to abort takeoff.

"There was an Air Canada flight that the pilot decided not to take off and he aborted the flight and that can happen for any number of reasons," said Steve Hankinson, YVR's vice-president of operations.

Video of the incident shows one of the Boeing 767's tires kicking up slush into the engine, followed by a flash that looks like the engine backfiring.

The airport would only say that a noise was heard during takeoff and the plane is now undergoing maintenance.

After hours of waiting for crews to inspect the plane, passengers who were supposed to travel to Ixtapa on flight AC1722 were told they'd have to try flying again on Wednesday.

The snowfall caused the cancellation of at least a dozen flights Tuesday, leading to disappointment and frustration among many travellers.

"I got here after an hour and 20-minute drive from downtown (Vancouver) and my flight is cancelled," said Angie MacDougall.

A family from New Zealand that planned a ski trip in Kelowna also found the cancellations frustrating.

"We can't go boarding at Big White," said one of the children. "I'm not happy one bit."

Others said they were missing important family events.

Suzanne Buck told CTV News she was trying to book a ticket with another airline in hopes of making it to Prince George in time for her elderly mother's birthday dinner.

"Whatever I can do to get there," she said. "I'm going to go see if I can get a ticket from Air Canada. It's my only option."

"It's a pain in the butt," her 98-year-old mother, Jean, added.

More than 30 other flights were delayed.

"This is very wet, heavy now and…it requires a little extra time to de-ice because it's about safe operations here at YVR and we and we want to ensure that we're safe all the time," Hankinson said.

Airport officials are advising travellers to check the status of their flight well ahead of time, especially while the wintry weather persists.

"It's winter in Canada," Hankinson said. "We always suggest to anybody who's flying is that they check with their airline before they head out to the airport to make sure that their flight is on time and then to give themselves plenty of time in getting to the airport."

An up-to-date schedule of arrivals and departures is available on the airport's website.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Jon Woodward