Customs kiosk outage now resolved after passengers stuck on planes across Canada, CBSA says

Airport duty manager Wayne Finkle from Pearson’s Integrated Operations Control Centre discusses the CBS kiosk outage yesterday that impacted travellers.

Hundreds, if not thousands of passengers, were stuck on airplanes or faced long wait times at multiple airports across the country following an outage affecting CBSA’s Primary Inspection Kiosks on Sunday.

The devices, which also known as e-gates, are used to confirm travellers’ identity and submit their customs declaration.

The issue was first reported on Sunday and in an update on Monday morning, the CBSA said the outage had now been resolved.

“Travellers may continue to experience delays in the short term as we resume normal processing operations,” the CBSA’s social media post read.

“We thank you for your patience and apologize for any inconvenience experienced.”

In an email to CTV News, border services said travellers were re-directed to primary inspection lines for manual processing during the outage.

“Safety and security standards are upheld at all times, with border services officers working to verify travellers’ identities, receive their declarations, and conduct any additional screening warranted by each traveller’s individual circumstances,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer wrote.

The agency said the outage was caused by “an unforeseen technical issue during routine systems maintenance,” and that efforts are underway to restore connectivity as quickly as possible.

“The CBSA works closely with airport management to expedite traveller processing, minimize delays, and complete verifications as required,” it added.