61% of flights delayed

The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday canceled hundreds of U.S. airline flights to the Caribbean due to airspace closures. Now that the ban has been lifted, airlines like Delta Air Lines have resumed operations, but more cancellations are expected in the U.S.

For Canadian airlines, the impact was minor. However, even after the announcement, there were noticeable delays at Air Canada and WestJet.

The Canadian government currently prohibits travel to Venezuela.

“Avoid all travel to Venezuela due to the high level of violent crime, unstable political and economic situation, risk of arbitrary detention, and deterioration of basic living conditions, including lack of medicine, gasoline, and water,” Global Affairs Canada wrote.

“The Embassy of Canada in Venezuela has not been open since 2019. Our ability to provide consular assistance to Canadians in Venezuela is severely limited and done remotely.”

Air Canada has issued a travel warning for Venezuela and surrounding areas.

Here’s a closer look at Air Canada’s announcement and how flights were affected throughout the weekend.

Air Canada issues travel advisory for Venezuela and surrounding areas

Flight cancellations increased Saturday due to a Federal Aviation Administration order restricting access to airspace in some parts of the Caribbean. US airlines were particularly affected by the restrictions.

As for Air Canada, the airline was able to limit flight cancellations. However, it continued to provide exemptions for passengers who wanted to change their flight arrangements.

Air Canada told passengers on Saturday: “We understand that due to the situation in Venezuela and the surrounding region, you may wish to make alternative travel arrangements. If you have a current reservation, Air Canada has implemented a policy that allows you to make voluntary changes to your itinerary for travel between now and January 6, 2026, provided you have purchased an Air Canada ticket no later than January 2, 2026.”

Air Canada added that your itinerary must include one of the following airports:

Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda (ANU), Aruba, Aruba (AUA), Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI), Curacao, Curacao (CUR), Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (POS), San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia (UVF), Saint Martin, Sint Maarten (SXM), Thomas, US Virgin Islands (STT), Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadalupe (PTP), Fort-de-France, Martinique (FDF), Grenada, Grenada (GND), Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD), Saint Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKB), Bogota, Colombia (BOG), Cartagena, Colombia (CTG), Punta Dominican Republic Cana (PUJ).

Air Canada has concluded that flight changes can be made free of charge from now until January 13, 2026.

Although airlines were not affected by the flight cancellations, some disruption still occurred.

Air Canada flight cancellations have been reduced, but delays have increased significantly

Saturday was a tough day for some of the nation’s biggest airlines.

JetBlue led U.S.-based airlines with 210 cancellations. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines also experienced setbacks due to restricted airspace in certain parts of the Caribbean. American Airlines canceled 166 flights and Delta Airlines canceled 158 flights.

For Air Canada, there were 24 cancellations that day, affecting 4% of its total number of flights. However, the delays were higher than usual. Air Canada experienced 359 delays, affecting 61 per cent of its flights, according to FlightAware.

Toronto Pearson International Airport, one of the largest hubs, was also affected by delays. The hub has the highest delays of any Canadian airport, with 342 departures alone, impacting 59% of the airport’s total flights.

WestJet Airlines also reported 256 delays on Saturday, affecting 56% of its flights.

Airspace restrictions affected some flights in North America. But with restrictions lifted, Sunday could be a smoother day for Air Canada and other Canadian carriers.

Air Canada flight disruption on Sunday

So far, Air Canada has announced eight flight cancellations on Sunday, a far lower number than other major U.S. airlines. WestJet Airlines also had eight cancellations on Sunday.

As for delays, Air Canada already had 78 flights as of Sunday morning. This number is expected to increase throughout the day as airlines continue to adjust their schedules as restrictions are lifted.

Flight schedules are expected to return to normal on Monday.

Sunday is expected to be another busy day of travel across North America.