Pearson Airport in Toronto -Ground Stop
TORONTO – UPDATED 08:00EST – Pearson International Airport is in a ‘Ground Stop’ until 9:00AM EST. The weather conditions in Toronto with cold temperatures, and high wind chill factors have caused the airport to in effect shutdown. Pearson Airport is tweeting: “Departing flights can go as airlines are ready and planes are serviced. No arrivals at this time”.
The impact has implications across Canada today. Flights from Pearson will be impacting air travellers across Canada and International flights throughout the day.
Impact on Thunder Bay Travellers
Flight Tracking on NetNewsLedger can keep you up to date on the latest conditions.
Westjet Advisory
WestJet is advising guests of a weather-related situation at Toronto Pearson International Airport overnight tonight, which will have a significant impact on flights on Tuesday. As of now there is a ground stop in effect for Toronto arrivals until 9:00am ET, meaning that flights are not permitted to land, as well as a backlog of aircraft on the ground at the airport waiting for a gate to become available to offload guests. We have been advised that in order to efficiently process incoming aircraft, guests will be offloaded as soon as gates become available but baggage will have to remain on board some flights until sometime Tuesday. WestJet baggage agents are advising guests on a flight-by-flight basis whether or not their baggage will be affected. We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience this will cause, and we will do our best to offload baggage as soon as we can.
For guests travelling in or out of Toronto Pearson Airport on Tuesday, Westjet recommends you check the status of your flight prior to leaving for the airport.
Skies Quiet over Toronto Airspace
Toronto Transit Commission Update
The Toronto Transit Commission states: “Today’s extreme cold has delayed the roll-out of morning streetcar service due to frozen switches in Russell and Roncesvalles yards and problems with the pneumatic air lines on some vehicles. As the extreme cold continues, the TTC is warning that morning rush hour will see a shortage of streetcars across the network.
“Shuttle buses are supplementing streetcar service on all routes as crews work to resolve the issue.
“The age of the streetcar fleet and equipment – over 30 years in many cases do not respond well to extreme cold. Specifically, pneumatic air lines that provide braking and door operation can see moisture build up in the lines that then freeze, causing the streetcar to be taken out of service.
“The new fleet of low-floor, accessible streetcars that begin service this August, and phased in over a six-year period, will not be susceptible to extreme cold as the current fleet is. They use a combination of electrical and hydraulic systems, rather than pneumatic.”
