More than 200 US-bound flights were cancelled at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montreal-Trudeau Airport on November 13 and 14, 2026, after a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop suspended all departures from the United States for approximately five hours on November 13. The disruption resulted in 143 cancellations of US-bound flights at Toronto Pearson on November 13 and 63 cancellations on November 14. Canadian airports including Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver also reported dozens of cancellations on November 14 amid ongoing recovery efforts.
Airlines Respond to FAA Ground Stop Disruption
Air Canada cancelled roughly 250 flights on November 13, affecting about 27,000 passengers, according to spokesperson
Yasmine Mehdi. The airline announced it was adding extra flights to assist stranded travelers in reaching their destinations. Mehdi described the situation as a “significant disruption” with lingering impacts into November 14, noting additional cancellations occurred as aircraft and crews were out of position across the network. WestJet and Porter airlines offered free flight changes to passengers affected by the disruptions.
Passenger Experiences of Delays and Costs
Passengers travelling on US-bound routes from Canadian airports experienced lengthy delays and cancellations following the FAA shutdown. Toronto resident John Jacques spent 16 hours aboard a delayed flight from Brisbane, Australia, with a total journey time extended beyond 24
hours after connecting through Dallas, Texas. Jacques remarked on the unexpected nature of the disruption at the opposite side of the world and expressed relief upon disembarking the plane while awaiting his connecting flight. Maggie Sepulveda, stranded at Toronto Pearson, faced three flight changes and incurred over $250 in personal expenses for accommodation and food, which she did not expect to be reimbursed.
Technical Cause of the FAA Ground Stop
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy identified the root cause of the FAA ground stop as the installation of a new router by contractor L3Harris at a remote facility. The replacement router began “flooding” other routers in the
national air traffic control system, disrupting communications and radar feeds essential to flight operations. The FAA continues to investigate whether the incident resulted from faulty equipment or errors during installation.
Expected Timeline for Air Travel Recovery
FAA administrator Bryan Bedford stated on November 14 that the US air travel schedule was expected to return to normal by the end of November 15, 2026. The continuing cancellations reported at Toronto Pearson and Montreal-Trudeau reflect ongoing disruptions due to aircraft and crew positioning challenges caused by the ground stop’s aftermath.
