Canadian airports returning to normal operations after early morning bomb threats

CTV’s Judy Trinh has the latest details on the security incidents that grounded dozens of flights at some Canadian airports.

Airports were returning to normal operations Thursday after Canada’s air traffic control service said some received bomb threats early in the morning.

Nav Canada said the early morning threats affected airports in Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.

RCMP in Richmond, B.C., said they received a report of a threat at the Vancouver airport’s Nav Canada control tower around 2 a.m. local time. The tower was evacuated and no threats were found after a search, the force said in a press release.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

“After the initial investigation, investigators determined this to be a false report, and that there is no credible threat to public safety,” said Cpl. Melissa Lui, Richmond RCMP media officer.

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Kevin Morris said in a statement there were “brief ground stops” at airports in Montreal and Ottawa, and they were lifted at around 7:40 a.m.

Nav Canada said in a social media post that service was gradually resuming after “the evacuation of number of our sites” and threat assessment by authorities.

“We thank airlines and passengers for their patience as we work towards normal operations,” it said.

Transport Canada spokesperson Hicham Ayoun said the agency was working with airport authorities, Nav Canada and local law enforcement “to fully assess the situation.”

“As a result of this morning’s events, some flights may still be delayed over the next hours,” Ayoun said in a statement.

The Ottawa airport announced to passengers a little after 10 a.m. that it was close to resuming normal operations.

The airport said earlier Thursday that it was investigating a “security incident” and operations could be disrupted. Its website showed that several flights were delayed.

An Ottawa airport spokesperson said it was investigating alongside city police and there was only a “small impact” on operations.

Austin De St. Croix said he was at the Ottawa airport Thursday and was heading to Vancouver when his flight was suddenly cancelled.

“I went to check in, and then between checking in and the security gate, they told me my flight was cancelled, no info,” he said.

Lorraine Sundholn was also at the Ottawa airport Thursday and was set to fly Halifax before her flight was delayed.

“We just sit and listen to the announcements as they come up and where to go when they finally cancelled the flight,” she said.

The Vancouver airport said it was “aware of a security concern” involving Nav Canada operations and other airports, but its flights were operating normally.

“Safety and security remains our top priority and a thorough threat assessment was conducted,” it said in a social media post.

The Montreal airport also confirmed it was back in full operation.

Travellers were still being advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

By Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press

With files from David Baxter and Kyle Duggan in Ottawa.