- A border-processing outage forced travelers into manual inspection lines at Toronto Pearson and other Canadian airports on Friday.
- The Canada Border Services Agency said the failure caused delays, but there was no indication of a cyberattack.
- Primary Inspection Kiosks returned Friday evening, and the agency said it kept verifications and security checks operating.
A border-processing outage forced arriving travelers into manual inspection lines at Toronto Pearson and airports across Canada on Friday, September 12, 2026. The disruption began around 3 p.m., creating long waits while officers handled checks normally completed through kiosks.
The Canada Border Services Agency apologized for the delays. Its account described a system failure, not a broad refusal to admit passengers with valid passports.
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Thousands of arriving passengers faced hours-long waits at Pearson, according to one account of the disruption. Travelers were still directed through border inspection, but the failed kiosks slowed the process.
“We thank travellers and stakeholders for their cooperation and apologize for any inconvenience,” the agency said.
“We are still investigating the cause of the outage however there is no indication of a cyberattack.”
The agency also said, “Safety and security standards were always upheld.”
Manual inspection replaced kiosks while officers checked arriving travelers
Passengers moved to primary inspection lines after the automated systems stopped working. Officers verified identities, received declarations and conducted additional screening when needed.
That process kept arrival checks operating, but shifted work from kiosks to staffed counters. The agency said it coordinated with airport management and airlines to “expedite traveller processing, minimize delays, and complete verifications as required.”
The disruption therefore affected the speed of processing rather than the existence of border checks. Travelers continued to undergo the required examination before leaving the airport.
The outage reached airports across Ontario and Quebec
The affected locations included both terminals at Pearson, Toronto’s island airport, Hamilton’s John C. Munro International Airport and Montreal. Eight other international airports also experienced the outage.
| Airport or group | Reported impact |
|---|---|
| Toronto Pearson, Terminals 1 and 3 | Kiosks failed and arriving travelers faced lengthy waits |
| Toronto’s island airport | Arrivals moved to manual inspection |
| Hamilton’s John C. Munro International Airport | Officers processed travelers without the normal kiosk system |
| Montreal | Arriving travelers experienced long waits |
| Eight other international airports | The outage extended beyond the named airports |
The affected system was the agency’s Primary Inspection Kiosks. Those machines normally support the first stage of arrival processing, including declarations and identity checks.
The outage slowed entry checks rather than changing passport rules
The documented incident does not establish that thousands of passengers were denied entry despite holding valid passports. It establishes that travelers encountered longer waits after the inspection system failed.
A valid passport alone does not guarantee boarding or admission. Travelers must also satisfy destination entry rules, and some journeys depend on airline document-check systems before boarding.
That distinction applies to travelers facing a processing problem at arrival. A passport can be valid while officers still need to verify identity, receive a declaration or conduct additional screening.
The outage was not described as a change to admission policy. Passengers were redirected to staffed lines while border officers completed the required checks.
Airline and border procedures can involve documents beyond the passport. The system failure made those checks slower, but the available account does not describe a new rule that barred otherwise eligible travelers from entering Canada.
The kiosks returned Friday evening as the agency continued its investigation
The outage was resolved Friday evening. Another account said the kiosks were back online by early Saturday, September 13, 2026.
The agency continued investigating the cause. During the disruption, it worked with airport management and airlines to reduce queues and complete verifications.
The agency’s stated objective was to expedite traveller processing, minimize delays and complete verifications as required. Officers maintained the existing safety and security standards while the automated system was unavailable.
Travelers arriving during a similar disruption should expect manual inspection lines and allow extra time for processing. They should also carry the documents required for both boarding and admission, since a valid passport by itself may not settle every travel-document check.
