Canadian airports warn more delays expected after U.S. FAA lifts ground stop

Summary

• The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop after nearly five hours, allowing flight departures to resume following a communications outage at regional air traffic control centers.
• U.S. Homeland Security confirmed there is no evidence of a cyberattack and stated the outage was caused by outdated technology that became overloaded.
• Canada's major airlines, including Air Canada, cancelled all flights to and from the U.S. & may have impacts on flights to the Caribbean & South America that transit U.S. airspace.
• Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon stated Canada is ready to provide "full assistance" to the FAA & offered to accommodate U.S.-bound aircraft if required.
• NAV Canada warned that while Canadian systems are operating normally, some delays may continue in Canadian airspace as backlogs are cleared.
• U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted it will take time to return 3,500 airborne aircraft to normal operations, with fewer than 400 currently in the air.
• Airlines are not required to offer additional compensation beyond free rebooking or refunds, as the outage is considered outside their control.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom thanked Canada for its support during the disruption via social media.
• The FAA's new AI-powered SMART system was explicitly ruled out as the cause of the ground stop.
• The outage stranded travelers, sports teams including NBA & NHL squads, & caused disruptions to Amtrak booking systems due to high call volumes.
• European aviation agencies suspended U.S.-bound departures at the request of the FAA until midnight.
• Microsoft stated its recent service outages were unrelated to the FAA ground stop.
• Canada updated its travel advisory to warn U.S. travelers to expect air travel disruptions & contact their airlines for information.
• Toronto Pearson International Airport entered recovery mode to restore schedules, while Calgary & Vancouver airports reported ongoing delays for U.S.-bound flights.