Customs systems back up after hours-long delays for travellers across Canada

VANCOUVER -- A spokeswoman for Vancouver International Airport says the Canada Border Services Agency's primary inspection kiosks are back up and running after a nationwide outage caused hours-long delays for travellers.

Jenny Duncan says YVR was notified of the outage around 7 a.m. Pacific Time and international flight arrivals began to get busier around 11 a.m.

Duncan says she doesn't have statistics handy, but an hours-long outage of the CBSA systems is "very rare."

Airport staff tweeted at around 1:30 p.m. that they were working to help arriving guests fill out customs forms manually, as well as keep people hydrated.

A number of other airports across Canada took to Twitter to warn travellers about similar issues. They include Ottawa, Calgary, and Toronto Pearson.

A representative from the Canada Border Services Agency was not immediately available to respond to a request for more information.

We are still waiting for @CanBorder’s Primary Inspection Kiosk and Nexus systems to come online. With a number of Intl aircraft arriving this pm, there will be delays but are doing our best to help guests. We apologize for the inconvenience.

— YYC (@FlyYYC) July 28, 2019

#CBSA @CanBorder is experiencing a system outage. The Primary Inspection Kiosks and Nexus kiosks at YOW are down. Agents are working as fast as they can - thank you for your patience.

— Ottawa Airport (@FlyYOW) July 28, 2019

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  In this file photo, Air Canada passengers pick up their luggage at Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (Taimy Alvarez / South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)