Flight disruptions reported at Toronto airports amid global IT outage

A global technology outage impacting businesses around the world has led to flight cancellations in Toronto this morning, with Porter Airlines grounding all flights until noon.

Companies and services worldwide have been impacted by the outage, which involves Microsoft 365 apps and services.

Here is the latest on how the outage is impacting Ontario residents:

8 a.m.

North York General Hospital said the outage is impacting some of its systems. Clinical activity is continuing as scheduled but delays are possible, the hospital warned.

7:50 a.m. 

Metrolinx said GO trains and buses are not impacted and customers can still use PRESTO cards at stations and on board buses. Some customers may experience issues accessing their PRESTO accounts using the website and mobile app, the transit agency said. Funds can be loaded on PRESTO cards at stations as an alterative, Metrolinx said.

7:30 a.m.

Police in Windsor reported long delays at both the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge due to the worldwide outage.

7:20 a.m.

The TTC confirms that the outage is not currently impacting service in Toronto.

7:15 a.m.

Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN) confirmed that the outage is impacting some of its systems. “Clinical activity is continuing as scheduled, but some patients may experience delays,” UHN wrote on social media.

7 a.m.

In a post on social media, Pearson Airport said operations at Air Canada, Westjet, Sunwing and Flair have not been impacted. Issues continue with major U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines.

6:30 a.m.

Porter Airlines cancelled all flights until noon, citing a global “third-party systems outage.”

6 a.m.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) also confirmed that some flights have been impacted at Toronto Pearson International Airport due to a “global IT outage.”

A spokesperson for the GTAA said the impacts are airline-specific and passengers who are travelling today are being advised to check with their airline about possible flight disruptions.