Major travel disruptions expected due to Hurricane Milton

As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, thousands of people have left their homes and major airports have closed.

The storm remains a “catastrophic” Category 5 hurricane expected to make landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast late Wednesday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an update Wednesday just after 6 a.m.

Major airports in Florida are closed.

Tampa International Airport suspended operations at 9 a.m. Tuesday. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport closed after the last flight on Tuesday and plans to remain closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Orlando International Airport ceased all commercial operations at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

Flights to and from Cancun, Mexico and Florida were impacted at Pearson Airport, airport Duty Manager John Ventresca said in a post on X Tuesday afternoon.

“If your plans include travelling to Florida this week, we recommend you check your flight status with your airline,” Pearson said on X Wednesday morning.

Some Canadian airlines have released travel advisories and cancelled flights for Wednesday and Thursday, Pearson said.

The airport continues to monitor the storm and will provide updates as they become available.

Travellers with a flight to or from Florida or a connecting flight through the region should check their flight status.

Pearson Airport departures can be found here.

Today we’re planning for 450 departures and 452 arrivals with our busy morning start-up with 122 departures planned between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. That’s about one departure every 90 seconds. 🛫

We’re continuing to monitor Hurricane Milton as the powerful storm moves towards Florida… pic.twitter.com/F7oRtGETp8

— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) October 9, 2024

Lead photo: GEORGE DESIPRIS