Key facts
- Toronto Pearson and Montréal-Trudeau issued ground stops, listing the reason as other in the FAA airspace advisory.
- Toronto said the probability of extension is high, greater than 60%.
- NAV CANADA said its systems were operating normally and it issued ground stops to manage traffic volumes.
- Mark Stephens, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot, told Business Insider the airports may be preparing for US-bound flights that need to divert.
- Cirium said at least 600 flights were diverted on November 13, with Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles and Cleveland taking on additional flights.
Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montréal-Trudeau International Airport issued ground stops on November 13, after the Federal Aviation Administration declared a nationwide ground stop in the US following an air traffic control outage. Both airports listed the reason as "other" in the FAA airspace advisory, and Toronto said the probability of extension was high, greater than 60%.
NAV CANADA, the nonprofit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air traffic system, said on November 13 that its systems were "operating normally" and that it issued the ground stops to "safely manage traffic volumes." It advised travelers to expect delays and check with their airline.
Mark Stephens, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot, told Business Insider that the airports may be preparing for US-bound international flights that need to divert. He added that planes on the ground will return to their gates, making traffic management imperative to handle the potential increase in volume.
As of 6:20 pm Eastern time on November 13, more than 2,700 flights had been canceled within, to or out of the US, and another 10,500 had been delayed, according to FlightAware.com. Cirium, an aviation analytics company, said at least 600 flights had been diverted on November 13, with airports including Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles and Cleveland taking on additional flights.