TORONTO — Seven weeks of runway construction at Toronto’s Pearson Airport wrap up May 16 but it could be a long last few days ahead as airline delays, cancellations and long lineups continue and passenger frustration mounts.

WestJet’s Executive VP, Operations Cam Kenyon issued a statement letting passengers know they weren’t alone in their frustration. “I want to personally apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced during this construction event,” he said. “We aim to create a remarkable experience with every flight, and for every guest who flies with WestJet. Unfortunately, recent experiences for some of our guests travelling in and out of Toronto Pearson have been somewhat short of remarkable.”

Kenyon noted that the repair project, upgrading Pearson runway 05/23, is on schedule to be completed by May 16, after which service will be back to normal. “We are working to make things better, and as always our commitment is to improve and to continue to offer all our guests a remarkable experience,” he said.

WestJet says the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) initially communicated to all airlines that they expected minimal impact on schedules, dependent of course on weather, during the construction period. “Therefore, at the outset of this project no reductions in capacity (arrivals and departures) were planned by the GTAA or Nav Canada and air carriers operating in and out of YYZ did not significantly adjust their schedules to reduce capacity,” says the airline.

As it turned out, unfavourable weather, high demand in peak periods and Nav Canada’s adjustment to optimum runway configurations for the construction meant YYZ operations were significantly impacted over the last couple of weeks.

A statement from GTAA President and CEO Howard Eng noted that travellers “may have experienced some inconvenience in the form of travel delays or increased aircraft noise in recent weeks as a result of major repair work … if you were affected by this work, we apologize.”

Runway 05/23 is Pearson’s busiest runway, said Eng. The last major reconstruction of 05/23 was performed 12 years ago, in 2005.

Planned work originally necessitated two closures of this runway, one in April-May 2017 and a second closure in the fall of 2017. Toronto Pearson has expedited its rehabilitation work so that the runway can be returned to service on May 16 at 6 p.m.

“For more than a year the GTAA, the airline community and our air navigation service provider, Nav Canada, have worked collaboratively to carefully plan this rehabilitation work. Regrettably, weather conditions this April were unseasonable, and this, combined with a number of other factors that affect airport operations, means that certain flights operating to and from Toronto Pearson were delayed.”

A report from the Toronto Star says the runway repair project has caused more than 1,000 flight cancellations and delays, impacting every one of the more than 65 airlines flying out of Pearson. There are now questions about who is financially responsible for compensating passengers forced to book hotels nights or other inconveniences as a result of the delays and cancellations.