Air Canada has cut its flight capacity at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) as a result of winter storms in eastern Canada and the recent Delta Air Lines DL4819 crash.
On February 18, 2025, Air Canada provided an operational update, stating that that recent severe winter storm activity and the Delta DL4819 accident has created “extremely challenging” conditions for airlines in Eastern Canada.
“We recognize that travel disruptions are inconvenient for customers, but safety must always be our top priority and sometimes ensuring safe travel requires slowing down and adapting to conditions,” said Craig Landry, Executive Vice President and COO at Air Canada. “I thank our employees for their hard work and dedication, including their willingness to work overtime and extra shifts, to take care of our customers.”
The airline reported that it has canceled around 1,290 flights in the last six days. However, Air Canada mentioned that it successfully transported over 650,000 passengers during that period.
“We are currently restoring our service, adding extra flights and capacity where possible,” Landry said. “However, the necessary and ongoing reductions in the number of take-offs and landings permitted at our global hub in Toronto is slowing the speed of recovery. We anticipate it may take several more days, depending on the weather, to return to fully normal operations.”
Before the storm, Air Canada cut back its flight schedule, expecting that weather would limit takeoffs and landings at major airports across the country. For example, Toronto Pearson usually allows about 44 flights to take off each hour, but recent conditions have cut that number down to as low as 16 per hour, the update said. The reduction is for safety reasons, allowing time for snow and ice removal at the airport.
On an average day, around 47% of Air Canada’s flights and 46% of its passengers go through Toronto Pearson. The airline noted that if any of its flights or customers connect through Toronto, a disruption there can affect flights in other locations.
