Delta Airlines Crash Impacts Snowbound Toronto Airport Operations

A recent Delta Air Lines crash on February 18 has compounded travel difficulties at Toronto Pearson International Airport, which is still recovering from major snowstorms.

The Delta Air Lines jet crash late Monday afternoon severely impacted Toronto Pearson International Airport, which was already grappling with significant flight disruptions due to consecutive snowstorms. By Monday night, nearly 400 flights had been canceled and an additional 300 flights delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking platform. Operations at Pearson were halted for two hours following the incident, which occurred as the plane was attempting to land and subsequently flipped over. Although operations resumed around 5 p.m., two out of the airport’s five runways remained closed for the time being.

Monday was expected to be a busy day at Toronto Pearson as airlines were attempting to recover from a snowstorm that had deposited more than eight inches of snow over the weekend. The previous day, Sunday, brought major disruptions as well, with over 300 canceled flights and more than 500 delays reported, according to FlightAware. These issues had already been exacerbated by an earlier snowstorm the week prior that delivered more snowfall in one day than the entire month of January.

Pearson Airport officials noted that teams had been laboring nonstop to clear more than 1,200 acres of snow-covered runway to facilitate smooth operations for incoming and outgoing flights.