Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Canadian flights to be unaffected by total solar eclipse, airlines say

Share

Canadian airlines say travellers won't see their flight times affected by Monday's total solar eclipse, though passengers should protect their eyes during the astronomical event.

Air Canada says there won't be any operational impacts when the moon casts a shadow over the sun in parts of Eastern Canada on Monday afternoon, though it did issue a reminder to staff not to look directly at the eclipse as it's happening.

WestJet says it's taken unspecified safety precautions, and passengers hoping to catch a glimpse of the shadowed sun out the window should bring their own protective gear to prevent eye damage.

Air Transat, meanwhile, will direct passengers to keep their window shades closed.

Transport Canada issued an advisory Tuesday reminding those in the industry that there will be a "rapid onset of darkness and twilight conditions" that could affect pilots.

In an email, a spokesperson for the government agency says pilots who are not authorized to fly when conditions affect visibility may face restrictions during the eclipse — but Transport Canada says that's a minority.

"Commercial pilots and above are trained to fly at night, and if it was dark enough in the path of totality and you were landing or taking off, it might be similar to a night takeoff or landing," said Mason Fraser, who teaches at Seneca Polytechnic's School of Aviation.

"But your private pilots aren't always trained for night operation."

He said pilots flying toward the sun during the eclipse will just have to take normal precautions to ensure they don't inadvertently damage their eyes, such as putting the sun shade down.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2024.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford released a statement Monday marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, acknowledging what they described as the 'painful legacy' of the residential school system.

A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.

The union representing longshore workers at the Port of Montreal began a three-day strike at two terminals.

Local Spotlight

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.