A winter storm in Eastern Canada and the 17 February crash landing of a Delta Connection plane at Toronto Pearson International Airport are being blamed for mass disruption to Air Canada schedules.
Around 1,290 Air Canada flights have been cancelled in less than a week, the flag carrier said in an update, warning that normal service may not resume for days.
Slow recovery from crash and storm
Signalling empathy with the affected Delta passengers, the Canadian airline’s executive vice president and chief operating officer Craig Landry highlighted that “thoughts remain with that flight’s customers and crew” and “safety must always be our top priority”. Still, Landry’s statement made clear that Air Canada’s efforts to “restore service, adding extra flights and capacity where possible” were being hampered by the adaptations being made due to the weather and the ongoing investigation into the crash.
Due to an aircraft incident at @TorontoPearson which will have an impact on flights to/from #YYZ, Air Canada customers travelling to or from Pearson are advised to check the status of their flight before going to the airport. https://t.co/YIHZEVDbv2
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) February 17, 2025
Recognising that “safe travel requires slowing down and adapting to conditions”, Landry noted: “However, the necessary and ongoing reductions in the number of take-offs and landings permitted at our global hub in Toronto is [sic] slowing the speed of recovery. We anticipate it may take several more days, depending on the weather, to return to fully normal operations.”
Extreme weather warnings
Canada’s second largest airline WestJet has been less badly affected as it is based out of Calgary, but the nation’s third biggest carrier, Porter Airlines, whose hub is Toronto, was suffering 40% delays on 18 February, Flight Aware data showed. Air Canada though has been doubly hit because both its domestic hubs, (Toronto Pearson and Montréal–Trudeau International) have suffered service interruptions.
Toronto Pearson Airport has reopened following the earlier incident, and operations are in the process of recovering.
— Porter Airlines (@porterairlines) February 17, 2025
Please check your flight status at https://t.co/1IdMdjaOrV.
The situation is reported to have improved at the time of writing, but would-be travellers should beware that provinces across the country, including Ontario and Quebec, continue to face extreme weather warnings from Environment Canada. Forecasts still include winter storms and extreme cold, high winds, blowing snow, and snow squall warnings which are affecting visibility and therefore travel safety.
Crash investigation
Meanwhile, the investigation into the Delta Connection’s crash is ongoing, with some experts suggesting high crosswinds and an attempted “crab manoeuvre ” by the pilots could have contributed to the incident. During landing the plane impacted the runway, losing a wing, catching fire and turning belly up.
All passengers and crew escaped the plane’s carcass, and just two of the 18 flyers taken to hospital remained there by the next day – a survival rate attributed to the flight attendants’ and responders’ professionalism, and to the plane’s safety features.
