WestJet cancels flights in and out of Toronto Pearson ahead of storm

Photo: The Canadian Press

WestJet proactively cancelled all scheduled flights to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport on Friday, ahead of a major winter storm set that was set to hit the city. A WestJet plane waits at a gate at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alta., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet proactively cancelled all scheduled flights to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport on Friday, ahead of a major winter storm that was set to hit the city.

Flights in and out of Toronto are expected to resume Saturday morning, the airline said in a service update.

"At this time, scheduled operations to and from Toronto are expected to resume ... at a reduced capacity, contingent on weather conditions improving as forecasted," WestJet said in a release.

WestJet said it would continue to monitor storm conditions and make operational changes as required.

It advised guests travelling to or from Toronto to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport.

Air Canada also warned customers to check their flight status before leaving for the airports in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Environment Canada warned of a significant winter storm expected to hit Toronto on Friday evening and strongly discouraged non-essential travel due to dangerous conditions.

The weather agency said the most dangerous conditions were expected between 9 p.m. and midnight, when snowfall rates were predicted to be between 5 to 8 cm/h.

Severe weather "is expected to bring heavy snow and strong winds to a large swath of southern Ontario," Environment Canada said in its winter storm warning.

"Heavy snow in combination with strong easterly winds will create significantly reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions."

The weather agency said surfaces like highways, roads, walkways and parking lots could become difficult to navigate because of accumulating snow.

It also said some could experience power outages due to a combination of heavy wet snow and wind, and advised residents to monitor for updates from Environment Canada.