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- Two Canadian airports have issued ground stops on Friday.
- NAV CANADA, the organization that runs Canada’s airspace system, said it’s to “safely manage traffic.”
- Many airport hubs will take on extra planes as airlines headed to the US divert.
Airports in Canada are preparing for an influx of flight traffic and stranded passengers as the air traffic control outage in the US drags on.
Toronto Pearson International Airport said on X around 5 p.m. ET on Friday that there were no scheduled flights to and from the US at the time. At 7 p.m. ET, the airport posted an update that international and domestic flights that don’t require flying through US airspace are still operating.
But Toronto Pearson is still expecting a number of planes to be held at the airport, and will need staff and space to manage it all.
“We are increasing staffing across the airport to assist affected passengers,” the airport said. “Our support teams are being deployed throughout the terminals, with additional resources available in the U.S. departures area. We are also working closely with airlines and have implemented a parking plan for aircraft.”
Other airports, including Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, are also implementing traffic management systems, NAV CANADA, a privately run nonprofit corporation that owns and operates Canada’s civil air traffic system, said Friday night on X.
It added that its systems are “operating normally” and that it issued programs to “safely manage traffic volumes.”
“Travellers should expect delays and check with their airline,” it said on X.
Mark Stephens, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot, told Business Insider that the airports are likely preparing for US-bound international flights that need to divert.
He added that the planes on the ground at the airports will return to their gates, meaning traffic management will be imperative to handle the potential increase in volume.
As of 6:20 pm Eastern time, more than 2,700 flights have been canceled within, to, or out of the US, according to FlightAware.com. Another 10,500 have been delayed.
Cirium, an aviation analytics company, said at least 600 flights have been diverted so far on Friday, with airports like Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Cleveland taking on additional flights.
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