By Beril Canakci
ISTANBUL (AA) - A nationwide outage of Canada’s passport verification system disrupted customs clearance at several major airports on Sunday, causing long lines and delays for travelers arriving from abroad, according to a CBC News report.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which oversees border and customs operations, said the breakdown affected electronic passport inspection kiosks during “routine systems maintenance.”
In a statement to CBC, CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer said the outage was caused by an “unforeseen technical issue” and the agency was working to restore service “as quickly as possible.”
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Montreal’s Trudeau International and Calgary International were among the airports most affected and warned travelers of longer wait times. Vancouver International also reported slower processing but said operations continued with only “slightly longer than normal” customs clearance.
According to the report, this is not the first nationwide outage of Canada’s inspection kiosk system. Similar breakdowns in April and June also caused customs delays across the country.