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Pearson still dealing with weather issues

Jan. 8, 2014, Toronto - While the extreme cold eased off, operations at the country's largest airport were still affected, with a quarter of all flights being cancelled Wednesday morning.


January 8, 2014  By The Globe and Mail

More than 400 of the 1,538 scheduled flights at Toronto's Pearson
International Airport had to be annulled, including a third of incoming
traffic.

The continuing problems came 24 hours after the airport had to
institute a ground stop, stopping all incoming North American flights
early Tuesday as the wind chill readings hovered around the -40 C mark.
More than 600 flights were cancelled during the day.

 

Officials for
the Greater Toronto Airports Authority said the troubles stemmed from a
range of issues, from icy runways, a backlog of planes on tarmac,
frozen cargo doors that wouldn't open and concerns for the safety ground
crews.

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Even though it felt like -25 C early Wednesday, the
arrivals and departures boards at Pearson were again showing numerous
delays and cancellations.

 

More than 170 departures and 238 arriving flights were cancelled.

 

Air
Canada warned customers that its operations continued to be affected by
the rough weather in eastern Canada and the U.S. northeast.

 

"The
severe winter weather over the past days continues to impact airport
operations resulting in a reduced flight schedule, primarily for
domestic Canada and U.S. transborder flights to and from Toronto,
Montreal, Ottawa and the U.S. northeast," Klaus Goersch, the carrier's
chief operating officer said in a statement.

 

Buffalo Niagara
International Airport, which was closed because of snow Tuesday, was
reopened but there were gate holds and airborne delays.

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