Holiday travellers in Ontario and Quebec scheduled to fly out Friday via WestJet have been grounded.
The airline proactively cancelled all flights scheduled to arrive and depart Toronto, London, Ottawa, Waterloo and Quebec as of 9 a.m. due to a significant winter storm packing snow, ice, and strong winds. WestJet planes in those areas will not be back in the air until Saturday, weather permitting.
Flights in British Columbia have also been grounded until at least late Friday afternoon.
"The prolonged and extreme weather events that continue to impact multiple regions across Canada are unlike anything we’ve experienced," Diederik Pen, WestJet’s chief operations officer, said in a statement. "With the additional storms forecasted to impact British Columbia, Southern Ontario and Quebec, we are taking a proactive and measured approach to protect our operations and prioritize recovery flying this weekend. The decision to stand down more flights is extremely difficult, but it is necessary, so that we can be best prepared to safely fly as many guests, with as little disruption as possible when the weather improves.”
The cancellations will affect 140 flights across the five airports WestJet flies out of in southern Ontario and Quebec and 126 flights in B.C. That is on top of the 119 cancelled flights on Thursday.
"We sincerely apologize for the continued disruption many have or will experience and appreciate your continued patience and understanding," added Pen.
All travellers affected by the flight cancellations have been notified, the airline said.
Officials at airports across Ontario are recommending travellers with flights booked this holiday weekend confirm flight status directly with their airline before heading out.
