Delays reported at Winnipeg airport as storm blasts Ontario

The Winnipeg International Airport is reporting some delays as a major snowstorm whips across parts of Ontario.

The storm is expected to dump as much as 20 centimetres of snow in the southern part of the province by the time it ends later Friday.

The snow and gusty winds are causing major congestion at Toronto's Pearson International Airport and headaches for other flight centres across the country.

Planes are still coming and going from Toronto's airport, but the arrivals and departures board on the Greater Toronto Airports Authority's website shows some delays and cancellations.

In Winnipeg, arrivals and departures have been delayed anywhere from minutes to an hour, said Winnipeg Airports Authority spokeswoman Christine Alongi.

"Because as an airline plans their network and their aircraft may go from east to west, from west to east, there's going to be that ripple effect," she said.

"So I think across the board we're going to see delays of all aircraft today."

No flights arriving at or departing from Winnipeg have been cancelled so far.

Alongi is advising travelers in Manitoba to check with their airlines or monitor flight information on the airport authority's website.

Pearson, which is one of the main connector hubs for flights to all points across the country, has added extra staff and aircraft to cope with expected delays on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Roughly 100,000 people are expected to pass through Canada's busiest airport Friday, the last work or school day before the Christmas holiday break for many.