The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
Canadian airports braced for FAA outage chaos to ripple north
With planes and crews displaced, it could be well into the weekend before things get back on track.
Canadian airports are coping with inbound traffic from canceled and diverted U.S. flights following a nationwide FAA outage.
Toronto Pearson International Airport updated its status on X, noting the ground stop had ended around 8:30 p.m. and that disruptions to U.S.-bound and -originating flights could persist.
The airport said it brought in additional staff to manage crowds and assist affected travelers, with resources deployed across terminals and in the U.S. departures area, plus a parking plan for aircraft.
Other Canadian airports, including Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, implemented traffic management measures. NAV CANADA reported its systems were operating normally and issued programs to safely manage traffic volumes during the outage.
Industry data cited indicates nearly 7,000 flights were canceled within, to, or out of the U.S., with another 7,000 delayed, and about 1,000 diverted as of Friday, as airports in the U.S. and Canada handled the displaced traffic.