Hundreds, if not thousands of passengers, are stuck on airplanes or are facing long wait times at multiple airports across the country following an outage affecting CBSA’s Primary Inspection Kiosks.

The devices, which also known as e-gates, are used to confirm travellers’ identity and submit their customs declaration.

“We are working with partners on fixing the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this outage may cause and thank you for your patience,” the Canadian Border Services Agency said in a post on X.

In an email to CTV News, border services said travellers are being re-directed to the primary inspection lines for manual processing.

“Safety and security standards are upheld at all times, with border services officers working to verify travellers’ identities, receive their declarations, and conduct any additional screening warranted by each traveller’s individual circumstances,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer wrote.

The agency said the outage was caused by “an unforeseen technical issue during routine systems maintenance,” and that efforts are underway to restore connectivity as quickly as possible.

“The CBSA works closely with airport management to expedite traveller processing, minimize delays, and complete verifications as required,” it added.

Travellers are advised to check the list of airports with Primary Inspection Kiosks which may be affected.

CTV News has asked CBSA for more details about which locations are affected, how long the outage may last, and how exactly it is impacting travellers, but we were told at this time the agency cannot provide further information.

“We are working to restore connectivity as quickly as possible and invite you visit our X account @CanBorder for updates, Reimer said in an email.