Nav Canada says systems operating normally after U.S. orders ground stop

OTTAWA — Nav Canada said it is implementing “traffic management measures” at Canada’s four largest airports following the move by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ground all flights across the United States on Friday.

Nav Canada, a privately run, non-profit corporation which operates Canada’s civil air navigation system, said there is no direct impact on its operations and it continues to support the safe movement of air traffic in Canada’s airspace, including any aircraft that may be diverted.

Several airports, including the Montreal Trudeau International Airport and the Toronto Pearson International Airport, report that all flights to and from the United States are suspended.

Nav Canada said there are measures to manage air traffic flows at the Toronto Pearson, Montreal-Trudeau, Calgary and Vancouver airports to safely manage traffic volumes.

“Travellers should expect delays and check with their airline,” said a Nav Canada social media post.

Transport Minister Steven Mackinnon said in a statement the Nav Can measures will help “safely manage traffic volumes.”

“I want to reassure Canadians that our air traffic management systems continue to function normally,” he said.

Krista Kealey, spokesperson for the Ottawa International Airport Authority, said U.S. arrivals and departures are being affected at the airport.

She said the airport is expecting diversions, although it understands that international flights bound for the United States will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon, citing communications problems at regional air traffic control centres.

Yasmine Mehdi, an Air Canada spokesperson, said the ground stop is affecting flights to and from the United States. She said flights to and from the Caribbean and South America may also be affected.

“Any flights currently airborne have been advised they are permitted to continue,” said Mehdi. “We are monitoring the situation very closely and will provide updates as they become available.”

The Vancouver International Airport said it’s seeing delays for U.S.-bound departures and some international flights that would fly over the United States. It said domestic flights within Canada are not affected.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications issue is affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centres that direct planes travelling between airports nationwide. He said FAA technicians are investigating.

This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. The last such shutdown prior to 2023 happened after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the ground stop was a “telecommunication outage.”

“This isn’t a safety to the American people, or another 9/11,” he said. “I think that’s what a lot of people are trying to make the comparison to, and that’s not the case.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

-With files from The Associated Press

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press