Thousands of airline passengers across Canada are facing major disruption as snowstorms and powerful winds sweep through Atlantic Canada and ripple across the country’s busiest hubs.

On Sunday, January 18 and into Monday, January 19, carriers including Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz and Porter collectively recorded around 78 cancellations and more than 400 delays, with Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver, St. John’s and Moncton among the hardest hit.

The weather-related chaos has left travelers stranded in terminal lounges, scrambling to rebook itineraries and, in some cases, abandoning flights altogether as conditions on the ground and in the air remain volatile.

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Storm System Hammers Atlantic Canada and Spills Into Major Hubs

The latest round of disruption has been driven by a potent winter storm system moving through Atlantic Canada, bringing heavy, wet snow and high winds to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. In Nova Scotia alone, more than 120,000 homes and businesses lost power early on January 19 as dense, moisture-laden snow weighed on trees and power lines, underscoring just how severe the overnight conditions were for both residents and travelers.

Environment Canada forecasts for central, eastern and northern Nova Scotia called for 15 to 20 centimetres of snow, paired with treacherous road conditions that prompted school closures, delayed openings at government offices and widespread cancellations in health care services. Police in the province reported multiple collisions and partial highway closures, further complicating access to Halifax Stanfield International Airport and regional facilities in the province.

As the system moved east, much of Newfoundland braced for 15 to 25 centimetres of additional snow on January 19, with forecasters warning that gusty winds would sharply reduce visibility and create drifting on runways, taxiways and access roads. Those conditions have directly affected St. John’s International Airport and nearby regional fields that feed into the broader national network, forcing airlines to trim schedules and slow already fragile operations.

Nationwide Impact: 78 Cancellations and 429 Delays in a Single Day

Operational data compiled from flight-tracking services and industry sources over the weekend indicate that Canadian carriers collectively faced roughly 78 cancellations and about 429 delays linked to the latest storm cycle. While figures vary by hour as airlines adjust their schedules and aircraft rotations, the snapshot reflects a severe nationwide impact spread across multiple airports and carriers, with disruptions peaking over January 18 and into the morning of January 19.

Travel and aviation analysts note that this latest wave of cancellations and delays comes on top of an already bruising month for Canada’s air transport system. In separate weather events earlier in January, more than 600 disruptions were recorded during an Arctic outbreak across major hubs such as Toronto Pearson, Vancouver and Halifax, and another day saw nearly 600 delays and close to 100 cancellations nationally as snow and subzero temperatures dragged down performance across the network.

For passengers, the statistics translate into long check-in queues, crowded rebooking counters and congested security lines as carriers juggle displaced travelers from one disrupted day into the next. Airlines report that many flights are still operating, but often hours behind schedule, leading to missed connections and forcing some travelers into unplanned overnight stays near airports.

Halifax, St. John’s and Moncton at the Eye of the Storm

Halifax Stanfield International Airport has become one of the focal points of the current disruption. With heavy, wet snow blanketing the region and power outages affecting surrounding communities, airport crews have been working continuously to clear runways and de-ice aircraft. Airlines including Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz and Porter have all cut flights in and out of Halifax, with a cluster of cancellations and delays recorded through Sunday and early Monday as the storm moved through.

St. John’s International Airport has also recorded a notable share of affected services, particularly on regional routes connecting Newfoundland to Halifax, Toronto and Montreal. High winds and blowing snow in St. John’s have forced pilots to contend with low visibility on approach and departure, prompting some carriers to preemptively cancel services rather than risk last-minute changes while passengers are already at the gate.

In New Brunswick, Moncton’s Roméo LeBlanc International Airport has experienced disruption concentrated on feeder flights into Halifax, Montreal and Toronto. While Moncton’s overall volume of flights is smaller than that of the country’s primary hubs, cancellations and delays on its regional services can sever vital links for travelers headed to major Canadian cities or connecting onward to the United States and Europe.

Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal Feel the Knock-On Effects

Although the worst of the weather is centered in Atlantic Canada, the impact has been felt just as acutely at the country’s largest hubs, particularly Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International. Airlines rely on these airports for complex connections between eastern and western Canada, and when storms disrupt feeder flights from Halifax, St. John’s and Moncton, arrivals and departures on the other side of the country quickly start to fall out of sync.

Toronto Pearson, still recovering from its own heavy snowfall earlier in the week that produced hundreds of cancellations and delays in a single day, has again seen elevated disruption as the Atlantic storm undercuts the punctuality of inbound flights. Long-haul services from Western Canada and transatlantic routes arriving late into Toronto have forced passengers to scramble for rebooked connections to Maritime destinations, many of which are already operating on reduced schedules due to the weather.

Vancouver International, which has had its share of weather headaches this month due to heavy, wet snow and icy conditions, has also seen ripples from the Atlantic storm. Although the skies over Vancouver may be clearer, flights bound for Halifax, Montreal and Toronto often face gate holds or last-minute schedule reshuffles when their onward legs into Atlantic Canada are delayed or cancelled, putting aircraft and crews out of position.

Montreal–Trudeau has emerged as another chokepoint, caught between ongoing winter operations in Quebec and the difficulties of sustaining reliable links to Atlantic Canada. Delayed inbound aircraft from Halifax and St. John’s can disrupt carefully planned turns on transatlantic and transborder services, while outbound flights to the Maritimes are frequently held to ensure that destination airports remain open and safe for arrivals.

Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz and Porter Struggle to Keep Schedules Intact

The country’s major airlines are once again being tested by the mechanics of winter weather operations. Air Canada, the largest player in the domestic market, has logged dozens of delays and a significant number of cancellations as it works to maintain its expansive network touching virtually every affected airport. The carrier has concentrated its resources on keeping core trunk routes between Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary moving, accepting higher delay rates on regional flights into Atlantic Canada.

WestJet, with strong operations from Calgary and a growing presence in Eastern Canada, has also reported widespread disruption. Earlier in January, the airline activated winter-storm travel advisories at several Canadian airports, offering one-time change and cancellation fee waivers. That flexible policy has proven valuable again as the Halifax-centered storm system has forced new waves of itinerary changes for passengers booked on services to and from St. John’s, Halifax and other East Coast cities.

Regional carriers such as Jazz, a key partner in Air Canada’s domestic network, are on the front line of the storm’s impact. Jazz operates a high proportion of the short-haul flights that connect smaller communities in Atlantic Canada to the larger hubs, and when those flights are cancelled or delayed it leaves entire regions with severely reduced air service. Porter Airlines, with its growing fleet of jet aircraft linking Eastern and Atlantic Canada, has likewise faced mounting schedule challenges as crosswinds, freezing drizzle and heavy snow move across its route map.

Smaller regional airlines, including operators focused on northern and remote communities, are being forced to make conservative decisions on whether to fly. For many of these carriers, safety margins in poor visibility and crosswind conditions are tighter, leading to cautious cancellations that, while necessary from an operational perspective, further strain options for passengers already coping with disrupted journeys.

Passengers Face Long Queues, Missed Connections and Limited Alternatives

Inside terminal buildings across Canada, the consequences of 78 cancellations and more than 400 delays are on vivid display. Travelers report long waits at check-in desks and rebooking counters, where airline staff are working through long queues of passengers whose original itineraries have become unworkable. Families returning from holidays, business travelers rushing to meetings and students heading back to campuses are among those stranded in departure halls as departure boards fill with red and amber status messages.

For some domestic travelers in more central corridors, alternatives such as rail or rental cars have provided partial relief. Routes between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal have historically seen an uptick in rail bookings whenever winter storms snarl air travel, and car-rental companies in those cities are once again noting strong demand from passengers opting to drive rather than risk further airport delays.

In Atlantic Canada, however, geography limits such workarounds. For many communities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, especially those outside major urban centers, flying remains the only practical option. When weather closes or constrains operations at Halifax, St. John’s and Moncton, residents have few realistic alternatives, and missed medical appointments, family events and business engagements become inevitable collateral damage.

The disruption is also creating a knock-on effect for international travelers using Canadian airports as gateways. Late-running flights into Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver from Europe, the United States and Asia leave connecting passengers with too little time to clear security and reach onward flights to the Maritimes and smaller Canadian cities, forcing many to stay overnight or rebook for later in the week.

Airports and Airlines Activate Snow Plans and Customer Relief Measures

Airports across the affected regions have activated well-rehearsed winter operations plans. At Halifax Stanfield, teams have been cycling snowplows, sweepers and de-icing vehicles around the clock to keep at least one runway open whenever possible. Similar scenes are playing out in St. John’s, Moncton and at the major hubs of Toronto and Montreal, where crews are tasked with clearing accumulating snow and managing icy conditions on taxiways and aprons.

De-icing queues, a familiar winter bottleneck for Canadian travelers, have lengthened at several airports whenever bursts of heavier precipitation move through. Each aircraft must be treated individually before departure when freezing precipitation is present, and that process can be slowed further by high winds that reduce the effectiveness of de-icing fluid. Those delays ripple quickly through airline schedules, especially when aircraft are scheduled to operate multiple legs in a single day.

On the customer-service front, airlines are leaning on travel waivers and flexible booking policies to ease the strain on passengers. In recent weeks carriers such as WestJet have issued winter-storm advisories allowing affected customers to change or cancel flights without penalty on specific travel dates and routes. Air Canada and other major airlines have deployed additional staff at call centers and airport service desks, though many travelers continue to report long hold times and slow-moving queues as demand overwhelms available resources.

Airport authorities and carriers alike continue to urge passengers to check flight status early and often before heading to the airport, particularly in Atlantic Canada and at hubs already experiencing backlogs. With more snow and wind in the forecast for parts of Eastern Canada, operational planners caution that it may take days, rather than hours, to fully clear the current wave of disruption and restore normal flow across the network.

Outlook: Winter Weather to Remain a Persistent Threat to Canadian Travel

Aviation experts point out that the latest round of 78 cancellations and hundreds of delays is part of a broader pattern this season, as climate variability drives sharp swings between deep freezes, heavy wet snow and freezing rain across North America. Earlier in January, an Arctic blast brought deep cold and widespread disruption to multiple Canadian hubs, and in mid-month a major snowfall in the Toronto region produced hundreds more cancellations and delays at Pearson alone.

With the heart of winter still ahead, operational planners at airlines and airports are preparing for additional periods of severe weather that could once again push the system to its limits. Carriers are fine-tuning crew rosters and aircraft positioning to allow more flexibility when storms develop, while airports continue to invest in snow-removal equipment and improved surface-condition monitoring to keep runways safe and available for as many hours as possible.

For travelers, the evolving reality is that winter flying in Canada now demands greater contingency planning. Industry observers advise booking longer connection times, traveling with essential items in carry-on luggage in case of unexpected overnight stays, and monitoring weather and airline alerts closely in the days leading up to departure. As the latest snowstorms and high winds around Halifax, St. John’s, Toronto, Vancouver, Moncton and other cities have shown, even a single storm system can leave thousands of passengers in limbo when it intersects with an already stretched aviation network.