Network outage resolved after knocking out all Canadian customs kiosks

Major delays at Person Airport An IT system outage at Toronto Pearson Airport is causing major delays at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.

A nationwide network outage knocked out self-serve customs kiosks at major Canadian airports and land border points across Canada for hours, causing huge delays as passengers filled out customs forms manually with pen and paper.

Passengers at Pearson’s Terminal 3 told CP24 on Sunday afternoon that the outage is causing a several hour wait to clear international customs.

“It’s very busy, there are very long lines,” Jody Smith, who was returning from Florida, told CP24. “It was very hot as well, but we just had to wait it through and have some patience.”

She said nobody told her about the outage as she waited in line.

"We weren't informed of anything," Smith said.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority said the problem originated with a network controlled by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Vancouver airport said all of its self-serve kiosks were down as well.

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Passengers wait to clear customs at Terminal 3 at Pearson Airport. (Carl Henry)

At about 7:35 p.m., CBSA spokesperson Ashley Lemire said that the outage, which impacted NEXUS, customs and primary inspection at land border crossings, was fully resolved.

“Throughout the outage, CBSA management and airport or bridge authorities worked collaboratively to facilitate arriving passenger flows and border clearances until the outage was resolved,” Lemire said.

“It’s a real mess back there,” another passenger named Angela said of her wait.

She said her diabetic husband was having trouble in the line, so eventually she got a wheelchair.