Ground operations resume following bomb threats at 6 Canadian airports, including Winnipeg

Airports are returning to normal operations after Canada’s air traffic control service said some received bomb threats early Thursday morning.

“Early this morning, NAV CANADA was made aware of bomb threats affecting facilities in Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

It said employees at these airports are safe and there was a temporary ground stop.

“Following this morning’s security threat at multiple NAV CANADA sites, all operations have now returned to normal,” NAV Canada stated in a update on X, adding that a “number of our sites” were evacuated while authorities conducted a threat assessment.

A Transport Canada spokesperson said the agency is working with airport authorities, Nav Canada and local law enforcement “to fully assess the situation.”

“As a result of this morning’s events, some flights may still be delayed over the next hours,” the statement read.

In Winnipeg, Manitoba RCMP confirmed they received the anonymous call around 6 a.m. Police say a search of the tower at the Richardson International Airport was completed but nothing suspicious turned up.

RCMP add no suspects or motives have been identified.

Travellers in Winnipeg who spoke to CityNews say they were met with delays and heightened police presence.

“This was a little crazy,” one person said. “I have not really dealt with that before, so I am not really sure how I feel about it now.”

“I just saw my flight was delayed an hour,” said another. “I have friends over in Calgary who are also delayed, and from them I heard it was a system down. So I wasn’t worried and didn’t hear anything until you mentioned it today.”

“I have to go to the counter and figure out our Edmonton flight because I will be there 25 minutes after it leaves, so not looking forward to being stuck in Edmonton for sure,” said a third.

“Since we didn’t hear anything and our flight went smoothly, I am not really worried, but it is something to keep an eye out for,” added another.

“I use the airport every day, once a month because I work in Winnipeg and Ottawa, so I travel a lot, but I do feel safe in the airport,” a traveller told CityNews.

“I still feel safe,” said yet another. “I work in a school as a teacher and we get threats like this all the time, and 99 per cent of the time it turns out to be nothing, so you really can’t let those thing get to you.”

“I’m not too worried. It was delayed so they can look into it, and clearly if we’re being cleared to fly, it’s all good. It’s above my head, so I’ll trust the people who make those decisions and I am just excited for the trip.”

Elsewhere in Canada

The Ottawa airport announced to passengers a little after 10 a.m. ET that it was close to resuming normal operations.

The airport said earlier Thursday that it was investigating a “security incident” and operations could be disrupted. The airport’s website showed that several flights were delayed. 

An Ottawa airport spokesperson said it was investigating alongside city police. It said there was only a “small impact” on operations.

In Montreal, the Sûreté du Québec said its officers were “informed of a threatening call in a specific area of the airport” around 7 a.m. ET. A spokesperson told CityNews Montreal a “targeted evacuation” took place to conduct checks, and so far, nothing suspicious has been found.

“The investigation is ongoing, and airport activities have continued and have not been disrupted by this,” the official said.

A spokesperson for Montréal–Trudeau International Airport said its NAV Canada control tower was evacuated but flight operations have since resumed.

In Alberta, a spokesperson for Edmonton International Airport (YEG) said the security incident had “minimal impact on operations including a handful of delays. Regular operations have resumed.”

“The safety and security of our passengers, team members and partners is our top priority,” a brief statement reads.

YYC Calgary International Airport confirmed the security incident to 660 NewsRadio, also saying it had “minimal” impact on regular operations at the airport.

The Vancouver airport said it is “aware of a security concern” involving Nav Canada operations and other airports, and at this time its flights are operating normally.

“Safety and security remains our top priority and a thorough threat assessment was conducted,” it said in a social media post.

Travellers are advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

–With files from Mitchell Ringos