Delays clog Canadian airports, airlines ahead of summer travel season

Canadian airports and airlines logged a large number of flight delays last month, raising questions about their readiness for the summer travel rush.

Figures from aviation data firm OAG show large airports and carriers had a much weaker on-time record in March than comparable U.S. outfits – and than their own performance in 2019.

Toronto’s Pearson airport saw 61.2 per cent of flights leave on time – that is, within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure – versus 73 per cent four years earlier.

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By comparison, New York’s JFK airport and Chicago’s O’Hare airport had an on-time performance of about 73 per cent and 79 per cent, respectively.

Air Canada’s on-time arrivals rate was 57.3 per cent in March versus 69.6 per cent in March 2019.

Former Air Canada chief operating officer Duncan Dee says the higher volume of flight delays could bode poorly for travellers in the coming months after chaotic travel seasons during the summer and winter holidays, reflecting systemic issues across the Canadian aviation sector.