Canada’s already gruelling winter has ushered in a fresh wave of travel turmoil, with at least 56 flights cancelled and more than 250 delayed across the country as extreme cold, snow and freezing drizzle disrupt operations from coast to coast. Air Canada, Air Inuit, Air Borealis, WestJet and a host of regional carriers are struggling to keep schedules intact at major hubs in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, as well as in Ottawa, St. John’s and other smaller centres, leaving thousands of passengers contending with last minute changes, long queues and uncertain arrival times.
Cold Wave and Winter Weather Grind Canada’s Air Network
The latest disruption comes amid an intense cold snap layered on top of recurring winter storms that have battered Canada since late January. Meteorologists note that frigid air linked to the broader North American cold wave continues to spill south from the Arctic, dropping temperatures far below seasonal norms in much of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada while feeding storm systems that track along key travel corridors.
In Toronto and Ottawa, wind chill values have repeatedly plunged into the minus 30 to minus 40 degree range, creating hazardous conditions not only on highways and sidewalks but also on airport aprons where ground crews work in the open. In Quebec and Atlantic Canada, fast moving systems have buried runways under fresh snow, while Newfoundland has seen bouts of high winds and blizzard like conditions that slow or halt operations at St. John’s International Airport.
Even airports on the relatively mild Pacific coast have not been spared. Vancouver has faced bouts of subfreezing temperatures, low visibility and intermittent snowfall that force airlines to space out departures, extend de icing cycles and juggle limited runway capacity. The net effect is a cascading series of knock on delays, as aircraft and crews end up out of position across the national network.
Airlines Under Pressure: Air Canada, WestJet, Inuit, Borealis and More
Canada’s largest carriers have spent days issuing travel advisories and waiving change fees as the winter weather repeatedly upends schedules. Air Canada has reported dozens of delayed departures and arrivals at its Toronto Pearson and Montreal Trudeau hubs, while warning customers that extreme cold and icing conditions may mean slower than usual boarding, loading and de icing processes. The airline is urging passengers to allow extra time at check in and to monitor their flight status frequently on day of travel.
WestJet, which maintains a substantial presence in Toronto as well as in western Canada, has likewise warned of disruptions across southern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic airports, particularly on routes that connect through Halifax and St. John’s where storm systems have been marching across the Atlantic seaboard. Schedule trims and rolling delays have left aircraft waiting for weather windows long enough to accommodate both de icing and safe takeoff operations.
Smaller northern and regional carriers have been hit especially hard. Air Borealis, which serves remote communities in Labrador and Newfoundland, has recorded a significant share of its daily schedule cancelled or delayed as frigid temperatures, low visibility and strong winds make operations into small airfields particularly difficult. Air Inuit, an essential link for Nunavik and other northern regions, has also seen flights scrubbed or rescheduled at short notice when conditions at remote gravel runways fall below operating minima.
Major Airports Struggle with Volume and Conditions
Toronto Pearson, Canada’s busiest airport, continues to bear the brunt of the turmoil. The combination of heavy passenger volumes, tight runway capacity and repeated blasts of snow and cold has translated into waves of disruptions. Even when skies clear, crews face the monumental task of plowing runways, clearing taxiways and de icing dozens of aircraft to whittle down backlogs created during prior storm periods.
Montreal Trudeau and Ottawa Macdonald Cartier have faced similar challenges, though on a somewhat smaller scale. Periods of heavy snow, drifting and freezing drizzle have reduced visibility and contaminated runway surfaces, leading to proactive cancellations by airlines seeking to avoid stranding aircraft and crews. When high winds accompany the snowfall, airport authorities often must restrict operations to fewer runways, further reducing capacity during peak hours.
On the west coast, Vancouver International Airport has grappled with its own mix of winter conditions. Episodes of freezing drizzle and wet snow are particularly problematic at an airport optimized for comparatively mild and rainy winters. Ground crews must adapt quickly when temperatures flirt with freezing, while aircraft that normally require minimal de icing suddenly need full anti ice treatment, increasing turnaround times and creating rolling delays as the day progresses.
St. John’s in Newfoundland has endured some of the worst single airport impacts with repeated storm systems dumping heavy snow and driving winds across the Avalon Peninsula. In some recent events, a significant percentage of departures have been cancelled outright, effectively cutting off or severely restricting air access to and from the province until conditions improve and snow clearing operations can safely resume.
Passengers Face Long Lines, Tight Connections and Uncertain Plans
For travellers, the operational challenges translate into long, frustrating days in terminals. Check in lines at major airports have snaked through departure halls as rebooked passengers mix with those on still scheduled flights. Security and border screening areas have strained under shifting peaks in demand when multiple delayed flights all attempt to depart within the same window.
Missed connections are a particular pain point, especially for those moving between domestic and international legs. With schedules compressed and departure slots limited, passengers whose inbound flight arrives late into a hub such as Toronto or Montreal may find onward options scarce, especially to smaller markets and northern communities served by only one or two flights per day. In some cases, travellers have been forced to overnight at intermediate airports while waiting for available seats.
Airport hotels near major hubs have filled rapidly during storm cycles, pushing some passengers to seek accommodation farther from terminals or to sleep in departure lounges while they await morning departures. Airport authorities and volunteer organizations have at times distributed blankets, snacks and bottled water to stranded travellers in gate areas, reminiscent of scenes seen during previous major winter disruption events.
How Weather Creates a Domino Effect in the Sky
While individual cancellations and delays may appear isolated, the physics and logistics of winter operations create a domino effect across the system. Extreme cold requires careful handling of aircraft systems and fuels, while snow and ice on runways or wings can dramatically degrade performance. Each flight requires additional steps, from extended engine warm ups and careful pre flight inspections to thorough de icing of wings and tail surfaces before takeoff.
When these processes take longer in the midst of heavy traffic, departure queues build and runway utilization rates drop. Crews may reach their legally mandated duty time limits before completing scheduled rotations, forcing airlines to cancel or delay flights until replacement staff can be summoned. Aircraft that arrive late into one airport may then miss their next scheduled departure window from another, propagating delays through the network.
In the current cold wave, this operational fragility is exacerbated by the wide geographic footprint of the extreme weather. With subfreezing temperatures and snow reported from the Prairies to the Atlantic coast and even at times on the Pacific shore, there are few unaffected hubs that can easily absorb diverted flights or stranded passengers. The result is a system wide stress test that reveals just how sensitive modern air travel is to sustained meteorological extremes.
Advice for Travellers Navigating the Disruptions
Travel experts and airline representatives are urging passengers to adopt a more flexible mindset when flying during the remaining weeks of this turbulent winter. The most repeated piece of advice is to monitor flight status obsessively, using airline apps and notification systems to stay abreast of last minute changes, gate swaps and rebooking offers. In many cases, carriers will proactively move travellers to earlier or later flights to avoid forecast storms or to consolidate loads.
Passengers are also encouraged to build extra time into their itineraries, particularly for journeys involving connections. Allowing several hours between domestic and international legs can provide a buffer if the initial departure is held for de icing or runway clearance. When possible, travellers may wish to choose morning flights, which are less likely to suffer from knock on delays accumulated over the course of the day.
Seasoned winter flyers recommend packing as if a night in an airport is a real possibility. Keeping essential medications, a change of clothes, portable chargers, snacks and basic toiletries in carry on baggage can make an unexpected delay less stressful. For families flying with young children, small entertainment options and extra layers of warm clothing can ease the burden of extended waits in chilly terminal areas where doors to the apron open frequently.
Climate Variability, Infrastructure and the Future of Winter Travel
The current wave of cancellations and delays has reopened questions about how Canadian aviation infrastructure will cope with increasingly volatile winters. While cold and snow are hardly new to the country’s airports, meteorologists note that climate change is likely to alter the frequency, intensity and pattern of extreme events. Some regions may see more frequent freeze thaw cycles and mixed precipitation events, which are particularly disruptive to runway maintenance and de icing operations.
Airports and airlines have invested heavily over the years in snow removal fleets, advanced de icing facilities and improved runway surface monitoring, yet extended cold waves and back to back storms can still stretch those systems to the limit. Industry analysts suggest that further upgrades may be needed, including expanded de icing bays at major hubs, more robust crew scheduling strategies and closer integration of real time weather analytics into operational decision making.
For travellers, the takeaway is that winters may remain an increasingly unpredictable season for air travel, even as forecasting tools and operational practices improve. While no system can completely eliminate disruption when the weather turns severe, better communication, more flexible booking policies and realistic expectations can help soften the blow.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism with More Winter Yet to Come
As crews continue clearing snow and ice from runways and as cold air gradually moderates in parts of the country, airlines hope to whittle down the tally of cancellations and delays and restore more stable schedules. Already, in the wake of earlier storms this season, there have been signs that recovery times are shortening as operators adjust staffing and aircraft rotations to the new normal of frequent weather shocks.
Nonetheless, forecasters warn that winter is far from over. Additional cold shots and storm systems are likely to sweep across Canada through the remainder of February and into March, keeping the risk of fresh disruption elevated. For travellers planning trips in the coming weeks, building flexibility into itineraries and keeping a close eye on evolving forecasts will remain essential strategies.
For now, the 56 cancellations and 258 delays logged across Canadian airports illustrate the delicate balance between the nation’s reliance on air connectivity and the power of winter to reassert itself. As planes line up for de icing in Toronto, crews shovel out remote runways in Labrador and passengers in Vancouver watch departure boards flicker with new timings, Canada once again finds itself adapting to the realities of travel in a country where winter remains a defining force.