Quebec and Ontario Amid Travel Crisis as Airports in Montreal, Toronto and Salluit Experiences 33 Flight Cancellations and over 200 Hundred Delays within Canada by WestJet, Air Canada, Air Inuit and others, New Update

Today’s operational data confirms significant disruptions impacting air travel across key hubs in Canada. Figures detail considerable delays and cancellations affecting major airports and remote regional airfields. Toronto Pearson International Airport, situated in Ontario, recorded the highest volume of incidents. This massive gateway faced over a dozen flight cancellations and multiple flight delays. The situation was also challenging at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in Quebec. This key provincial hub registered seven cancellations and several delays. Furthermore, the remote Salluit Airport, also located in Quebec, reported five crucial cancellations. Seven different air carriers faced the adverse effects of these schedule changes. The sheer number of disruptions confirms widespread operational challenges for the nation’s aviation sector. This situation directly impacted hundreds of passenger itineraries. According to FlightAware’s data there’s a total of 208 delays and 33 cancellations reported.
Major Airports Affected
The three airport facilities under scrutiny—Toronto Pearson International, Montreal-Trudeau and Salluit—demonstrate varying but considerable levels of disruption.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (Toronto, Ontario) was confirmed as the most severely affected hub in the dataset, both in terms of outright cancellations and delays. A staggering total of 179 incidents were recorded at the facility. This figure comprises 21 cancelled flights and 158 distinct flight delays. Given its status as a major international gateway, the scale of disruption at Pearson dictates the most widespread impact on both domestic and global travel itineraries. The operational fluidity of this airport is considered critical to Canada’s air travel infrastructure and when delays reach such levels, manifold consequences are inevitably observed across the entire national flight schedule.
The second busiest airport in the dataset, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (Montreal, Quebec), also faced substantial operational impediments. At this facility, seven flight cancellations were recorded, supplemented by 50 additional flight delays. This yields a total of 57 documented flight disruptions. While the volume of incidents is significantly lower than that of its Toronto counterpart, the dual-digit figure for delays confirms that a considerable percentage of scheduled services were affected.
Lastly, the Salluit Airport (Salluit, Quebec), a more remote facility, reported a concerning cancellation rate relative to its size. A total of five flights were cancelled and notably, zero delays were reported. This suggests that flights were either successfully executed or entirely scrubbed from the schedule.
Probable Cause: US Government Shutdown
The ongoing U.S. Federal Government Shutdown has created significant disruptions in air travel between Canada and the United States. While major carriers like Air Canada and WestJet have largely avoided operational issues, smaller airlines such as Porter Airlines are facing severe challenges, with cancellations and delays affecting key routes. The shutdown has led to a reduction in U.S. air traffic control staffing, resulting in delayed flight schedules and a ripple effect on Canadian travel. As U.S. airports scale back operations, Canadian travelers connecting through these hubs are experiencing longer waiting times and unpredictable flight paths. The Canadian aviation industry is being indirectly impacted, with reduced coordination between U.S. and Canadian air traffic management. Travelers planning flights between the two countries are advised to check for updates frequently, as the situation remains fluid. With the shutdown continuing, the uncertainty in air travel is expected to persist for the foreseeable future.
Impacted Airlines
A total of seven distinct airlines were impacted by the reported cancellations, reflecting a challenge distributed across various operational models, including major flag carriers, regional affiliates and niche operators. The raw number of cancellations across the three airports is aggregated below:
The carrier identified as experiencing the highest overall volume of cancellations is Jazz Aviation, which recorded a total of 10 cancelled services across two major hubs. Seven of these cancellations were reported at Toronto Pearson International, while the remaining three were documented at Montreal-Trudeau. Air France Cancelled one flight in Montreal.
The nation’s primary flag carrier, Air Canada, was also significantly affected, registering six cancellations at Toronto Pearson International and one at Montreal-Trudeau, resulting in a total of seven services being removed from the daily schedule. Furthermore, its regional leisure affiliate, Air Canada Rouge, was subjected to four cancellations, all of which were reported at Toronto Pearson International.
A specialized regional carrier, Air Inuit, was uniquely affected at the Salluit Airport, where five of its scheduled flights were cancelled. This accounts for 100% of the cancellations recorded at that specific facility.
The remaining three carriers affected by cancellations are Porter Airlines, which recorded two cancellations at Montreal-Trudeau; Envoy Air, which saw two cancellations at Toronto Pearson International and WestJet, which also reported two cancellations at the Toronto hub. These cancellation figures confirm that the ripple effects of the operational disruptions were broadly distributed across both domestic and international service providers.
Probable Impact on Local Tourism
The immediate and secondary impacts of these operational challenges on local tourism economies in Toronto and Montreal are a point of concern for relevant stakeholders.
Disruptions of this magnitude—involving 28 cancellations and 208 delays across two of the country’s most prominent international gateways—are widely understood to affect traveller confidence. Business meetings, conference attendance and leisure travel itineraries are all compromised when flight reliability is questioned. Furthermore, the sheer volume of delays observed at Toronto Pearson and Montreal-Trudeau means that inbound passengers, representing potential consumers for hotels, restaurants and local attractions, had their arrival postponed, leading to potential revenue loss for the local hospitality sector. For Salluit, a community heavily reliant on air travel for external connectivity, the five cancellations represent a considerable disruption to the flow of essential personnel and potential visitors, with the economic effects being felt more acutely due to the isolation of the region.
The priority for the affected cities is understood to be the swift restoration of efficient flight schedules to mitigate any prolonged negative perception or material impact on the travel and tourism industry.
What Affected Passengers Can Do
Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by the reported 33 cancellations and 208 delays are advised to adhere to established post-disruption procedures.
Firstly, independent verification of the flight status through the respective airline’s official channels is strongly recommended. Electronic notifications regarding flight changes or cancellations should be monitored closely, as carriers prioritize communication through these means.
Secondly, contact with the affected airline—whether Jazz Aviation, Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air Inuit, Porter Airlines, Envoy Air, WestJet or Air France—should be established to initiate the rebooking process. Rerouting options or the provision of flight credit or refunds are standard measures that should be requested and thoroughly reviewed.
Finally, documentation pertinent to the booking, including ticket receipts and any communication from the airline confirming the cancellation or delay, must be maintained. This record is essential for any future claims or inquiries regarding passenger compensation, which may be governed by specific air passenger protection regulations depending on the route and the carrier involved. Patience is requested during this period, as the large volume of disrupted services means that service agents are being subjected to exceptionally high demand.
-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.
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