WestJet Ground Stop Lifted After Outage, Delays Continue

Published on Aug 13, 2025, 8:28 am CDT

5 min read

A brief WestJet ground stop tied to a temporary system outage on August 12, 2025 paused departures across the network, then lifted late morning. WestJet said the tech issue delayed aircraft handovers from maintenance to operations, and that normal service was resuming. Airports from Toronto to Calgary flagged knock on delays, with some residual disruption persisting into August 13 as aircraft and crews reset.

Key Points

Why it matters: A carrier wide pause rippled through Canada's busiest corridors.
Travel impact: Rolling delays, scattered cancellations, and missed connections into August 13.
What's next: Schedules should stabilize as aircraft rotations normalize today.
FAA listed and then canceled the airline requested halt.
WestJet Encore flights were included in the stop.
Check your flight status and rebooking options before heading to the airport.

Snapshot

WestJet confirmed a temporary system outage early on August 12 that affected aircraft handover from maintenance, prompting an airline requested ground stop published by the FAA and applied to WestJet and WestJet Encore. The stop was lifted the same morning, but WestJet warned delays would continue through the day. Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Calgary International Airport (YYC), Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Ottawa Macdonald Cartier International Airport (YOW), and other airports reported impacts. By the morning of August 13, Calgary showed average departure delays around a half hour as the operation reset. Passengers were advised to monitor flight status closely, allow extra time, and use self service tools for changes.

Background

Ground stops are short term traffic management actions that hold departures to specific airports or carriers until issues are resolved. In this case, the FAA advisory reflected an airline initiated pause while WestJet addressed a systems problem. WestJet said the outage delayed the routine handoff between maintenance and operations, an upstream step that can stall morning push departures across multiple hubs. Because WestJet runs dense, banked schedules at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Calgary International Airport (YYC), and Vancouver International Airport (YVR), even a brief hold can cascade into missed connections and aircraft out of position. Recovery typically takes one to two cycles, depending on crew duty limits, gate availability, and slot programs in the United States.

Latest Developments

FAA lists and cancels the WestJet ground stop

The FAA posted an advisory showing an airline requested ground stop for all WestJet and WestJet Encore flights, then canceled it later in the morning on August 12. WestJet told media it had identified and fixed the system issue, and that a return to normal operations was underway. The statement emphasized that delays were expected to continue as aircraft and crews returned to schedule. See our operational context in the FAA Air Traffic Report, August 12, 2025: Delays & Storms.

Canadian airports flag network wide delays

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) alerted travelers that WestJet was dealing with an issue affecting arrivals and departures. Calgary International Airport (YYC), Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL), and Ottawa Macdonald Cartier International Airport (YOW) issued similar notices. These advisories align with WestJet's acknowledgement of a system outage and with same day reports of longer lines and scattered morning cancellations.

Recovery continues into August 13

While the outage was resolved on August 12, residual impacts remained visible the next morning. Flight tracking showed Calgary International Airport (YYC) experiencing average departure delays near 30 minutes during early banks on August 13, consistent with aircraft and crew rebalancing. Travelers reported rebookings and late arrivals stabilizing across the day as rotations normalized.

Analysis

This incident followed a familiar pattern for network carriers. When a system supporting morning maintenance release stalls, the first banks at key stations stack up, gates clog, and crews bump against duty limits. Because WestJet concentrates flying at Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton, any disruption during the morning push can overflow into mid day banks and spill into the evening. The FAA listing confirms the halt, and the airline's statement clarifies the root cause as a maintenance to operations handover delay, not a broader IT failure affecting reservations or check in. That distinction matters for passenger rights and for recovery time. A maintenance release delay typically clears within hours, but the resulting equipment out of position can take a full cycle to unwind, especially on long haul and transcontinental pairings where aircraft cannot easily be swapped. The August 13 morning delays at Calgary fit that model, and point to a largely complete recovery by late day barring fresh weather or air traffic constraints.

Final Thoughts

If you are flying WestJet today, build in extra time and confirm your flight number in the app before you leave. Same day rebooking may be available online, and compensation rules vary by cause, route, and delay length. Expect the schedule to look increasingly normal as aircraft and crews realign, with isolated late turns possible through the evening. We will continue to watch for additional advisories tied to the WestJet ground stop.