Canadian airports returning to normal operations after early morning bomb threats

By Canadian Press on July 3, 2025.

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

Nav Canada said the early morning threats affected airports in Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Kevin Morris said in a statement there were “brief ground stops” at airports in Montreal and Ottawa, and they were lifted at around 7:40 a.m.

Nav Canada said in a social media post that service is gradually resuming after “the evacuation of number of our sites” and threat assessment by authorities.

“We thank airlines and passengers for their patience as we work towards normal operations,” it said.

The Ottawa airport announced to passengers a little after 10 a.m. 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.

Austin De St. Croix said he was at the Ottawa airport Thursday and was heading to Vancouver when his flight was suddenly cancelled.

“I went to check in, and then between checking in and the security gate, they told me my flight was cancelled, no info,” he said.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025.

The Canadian Press