TORONTO - Flight delays occurred Saturday at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, attributed to "resource constraints," according to NAV Canada, the country's air navigation service provider. In a tweet, NAV Canada confirmed that some flights were delayed and assured that its team was "moving aircraft safely, and as quickly as possible."

Passengers were encouraged to check their flight status with their respective airlines. Air Canada reported on X that the issues with NAV Canada were leading to delays and cancellations throughout its network.

NAV Canada explained in an emailed statement that it had to implement a Traffic Management Initiative. This measure was necessary to manage air traffic safely due to staffing limitations and increased demand over the weekend.

The Pearson airport website indicated that most arrivals were expected to face delays until nearly midnight Saturday. While many departures were also delayed earlier in the evening, flights began to take off on schedule after 8 p.m. local time.

"We know delays are frustrating and we regret the impact on travellers, airlines, and airports," NAV Canada stated. "We expect traffic levels to gradually return to normal tonight, though we recognize that some travellers will continue to experience delays as we work through the backlog."

To address these issues, NAV Canada is actively recruiting and training new staff across the country. Additionally, the agency reported that some flights in Toronto experienced delays on Friday due to weather and high traffic volume.

NAV Canada is working to improve its capacity to handle air traffic more efficiently in the future.