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CANADA: Air Canada briefly grounds flights due to system issue

Some flights were delayed, but the effects were limited, says spokesperson
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Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

MONTREAL — Air Canada briefly grounded its planes Thursday due to a problem with its computer system.

The airline says a technical issue with the system it uses to transmit messages to aircraft and monitor their performance, prompted a halt to operations.

Airline spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick says the temporary order was precautionary, and that the system is returning to normal.

He says there were some flight delays as a result, but the effects were limited.

Tracking service FlightAware says 106 Air Canada flights, or 21 per cent, have been delayed today, though the figure is lower than the 35 per cent on Wednesday.

Air Canada says it advised Nav Canada and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration of the ground stop, which lasted about an hour.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2023.

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The Canadian Press