A security incident at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) caused delays for domestic and cross-border travellers on Wednesday (Mar. 18) after authorities temporarily reduced incoming flight capacity.
Air traffic into YUL was scaled back mid-afternoon when a suspicious item was reported on board an arriving aircraft, prompting officials to close one of the airport’s two runways.
The disruption led to delays on some flights.
At the peak of the incident, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop for certain flights bound for Montreal, preventing departures from select American airports.
The advisory was later downgraded to a ground delay, with wait times of roughly an hour due to congestion.
Operations began returning to normal shortly before 5 p.m., when airport officials confirmed both runways had reopened and there was no risk to passengers.
“The investigation conducted by local law enforcement has concluded and has been found to be unfounded,” said Eric Forest, spokesperson for Aéroports de Montréal, noting that standard security protocols were activated after a suspicious suitcase was identified on a flight arriving at YUL.
As reported by CBC, Quebec provincial police (Sûreté du Québec) say two men—one in his 20s and the other in his 30s—were questioned after being on flights to Montreal.
Both were released, but could face fraud-related charges.
Police emphasized there was no bomb threat, despite an initial FAA alert referencing one.
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