Canadian airline WestJet has blamed a “temporary system outage” for a ground stop on August 12, 2025, that resulted in passengers facing delays to their flights.
Confirmation of the ground stop came via the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which issued an advisory message that all WestJet and WestJet Encore flights had been grounded due to technical issues.
At around 08:35, Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) subsequently advised passengers that WestJet was “dealing with an issue resulting in delays to both arriving and departing flights”.
WestJet told various media outlets that the system outage had “delayed the handover of aircraft from maintenance personnel for scheduled operation”.
Please be advised that WestJet is currently dealing with an issue resulting in delays to both arriving and departing flights.
— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) August 12, 2025
Please check your flight status before travelling to the airport.
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) also advised customers of issues with WestJet’s services.
“WestJet is currently experiencing technical issues across its network that are impacting its flights,” the airport said in a post on social media.
Around 30 minutes after confirming the ground stop, the FAA announced that it had now been cancelled.
Following the incident WestJet said: “This morning, WestJet experienced a temporary system outage impacting operations across our network. The issue was quickly identified and resolved, and normal operations are now resuming. As a result of this disruption, delays are expected to continue throughout the day.”
The airline added: “We sincerely apologize to any guests whose travel plans may be affected and appreciate your patience as we work to get you on your way as quickly and safely as possible.”