Flights resume across Central Canada after historic snowstorm, disruptions persist

Air travel across Central Canada began stabilizing Tuesday as airport crews worked to clear the aftermath of a record-breaking snowstorm, though thousands of passengers continued to face delays and cancellations.

Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows Toronto Pearson International Airport recorded 46 cancelled flights by late morning, representing about 11 per cent of scheduled departures. That marked a sharp improvement from Monday, when cancellations were roughly ten times higher as airlines grappled with buried aircraft and congested runways.

Environment Canada says Pearson received 46 centimetres of snow on Sunday alone, the largest single-day snowfall at the airport and a key factor in making January the snowiest month in Toronto since record-keeping began in 1937. Airport authorities say crews remain focused on clearing taxiways and de-icing aircraft to restore normal operations.

Elsewhere in the region, weather-related disruptions continued. About 10 per cent of departing flights were cancelled Tuesday in both Quebec City and Halifax, while St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, saw more than 22 per cent of departures grounded as snow and strong winds continued to batter the area.

Canadians flying to or from major U.S. hubs including Dallas, Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C., also faced elevated risks of disruption. Plane tracking firm FlightAware reported that between 35 and 40 per cent of departures from some airports in those cities were delayed or cancelled, adding to knock-on effects across North American air networks.