Winnipeg airport expects delays, diverted flights after plane crash in Toronto
'There'll be an impact across the system,' says Tyler MacAfee of Winnipeg Airports Authority
Delays are expected at the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport in the wake of a plane crash at Canada's largest airport.
The flight from Minneapolis to Toronto's Pearson International Airport crashed and flipped on its back Monday, resulting in injuries to at least 15 passengers.
Departures and arrivals at Pearson resumed as of 5 p.m. ET, the airport said in an update, after they were shut down temporarily following the crash.
The airport is experiencing schedule disruptions due to an incident at Toronto Pearson. Please double-check the status of your flight, stay home if your flight is cancelled, and contact your airline for the status of a delayed or cancelled flight. <a href="https://t.co/bcmuDBvRd6">pic.twitter.com/bcmuDBvRd6</a>
—@YWGairportTyler MacAfee, vice-president of external affairs for the Winnipeg Airports Authority, says there will be a ripple of disruptions stemming from the crash in Toronto.
"Pearson is the busiest airport in Canada, so there'll be an impact across the system. So what we are encouraging people to do is check for the latest with their airline or they can do the same with our website just to get the latest information on their flight," MacAfee said.
He's unsure at this time if any flights scheduled to fly from Toronto to Winnipeg might be affected.
"We are seeing delays going to Toronto," MacAfee said. "We're kind of waiting to see the situation unfold."
All 80 individuals on board the flight — 76 passengers and four crew members — have been accounted for, according to Pearson airport.
The Transportation Board of Canada is sending a team to investigate the incident.
Irene Courmanos started her travels going from Vancouver to Toronto Sunday, but that flight was then turned around and rebooked to Winnipeg, where she'd then fly to Toronto. But on Monday, that flight back to her home in the Ontario capital was delayed.
"It's out of everybody's control ... it's just [an] unfortunate incident and then of course the plane having the incident today at Pearson has caused more issues, so there's really no one to blame," she said.
Another traveler, Hajira Sajjad, who is also from Toronto, was also waiting to see if her flight back home would be rebooked.
"Plans are always changeable, it does cause a bit of ripple affect into everything else that had to happen this week," she said.
"But it's OK, I'd rather be safe than sorry ... and I feel very, very badly for the passengers with Delta, because that's horrifying."
With files from Anis Heydari