Widespread CBSA Kiosk Outage Triggers Delays at Pearson and Across Canada
Travelers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, as well as several other Canadian hubs, faced hours-long delays after a technical outage affected the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) inspection kiosks. The disruption, which began earlier on Sunday, forced airports to shift to manual processing and delayed both international arrivals and Canada-bound departures. The outage is the second of its kind this week, underscoring how a single systems hiccup can ripple across multiple cities.
What happened and when
CBSA officials confirmed that the outage began around 10:20 a.m. local time, impacting kiosks used to verify travellers and speed border processing. While the agency did not specify every airport affected, the problem spread to several Canadian international hubs, including Pearson, where terminals one and three experienced longer-than-normal queues. CBSA spokesman Luke Reimer said the agency is investigating the outage’s cause and is working to restore connectivity as quickly as possible.
Impact on travelers
For travellers at Pearson, the outage translated into longer waits at the entry points of the passenger journey. Airports posted warnings about extended timelines on their social feeds, and staff redirected passengers to primary inspection lines for manual processing as a temporary measure. Border officers were still required to verify identities, receive declarations, and conduct any additional screening based on individual circumstances, but the automated check-ins and kiosks were temporarily unavailable.
Operational and security measures in place
Officials emphasized that safety and security standards remained intact during the outage. CBSA noted that border services officers continue to verify travellers’ identities and declarations, with additional screenings carried out as warranted. The shift to manual processing, while slower, preserves the integrity of the border control system and ensures that travellers proceed through appropriate checks even without the self-serve kiosks.
Manual processing vs. automated kiosks
Automatic inspection kiosks are designed to streamline the border process by scanning documents and confirming identity. When those kiosks are unavailable, agents rely on manual procedures at primary lanes. That transition, while essential for security, typically lengthens wait times and can create bottlenecks, especially during peak travel periods or in airports serving large international volumes.
Context: Outages this week and ongoing investigation
Sunday’s outage marks the second disruption of the week related to CBSA kiosk systems. On the earlier occurrence, officials attributed the issue to an unforeseen technical problem during routine systems maintenance. In both cases, airlines and airport authorities coordinated to minimize disruption, but travellers still experienced delays and some flight check-ins were affected as staff needed to verify documents and passports manually, including for Canada-bound itineraries.
What travelers should know and do
As the CBSA works to restore full kiosk functionality, travelers heading through Toronto Pearson and other affected airports should plan for longer lines. Helpful tips include arriving early, allowing extra time for security and border checks, and staying tuned to official airport and airline updates. Keeping digital and physical copies of travel documents handy can also speed up manual verification, should the kiosks remain offline for any period.
Looking ahead
The CBSA continues its investigation to determine the root cause of the outages and to implement measures that prevent recurrence. In the meantime, travellers should expect ongoing reliance on manual processing at peak times until full connectivity is restored across affected airports.]
